The Source of Solace
by YFate
Summary: Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star crossing AU universe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star-crossing AU universe. K/S I/K

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

CHAPTER ONE

The music pounded incessantly in and around and over her, beating through her skull and tearing at her mind with a terrible tattoo of steel-tipped fangs. She clutched at the side of a small table with white knuckles and numb fingers, trying to regain her balance in a world that was tilting wildly. Lights flashed across her already blurred vision, leaving multi-colored streamers of acidic brightness against the inner darkness of her eyelids as she closed them tightly in a vain attempt to ward off the faint that was threatening to envelop her. She gasped for air in a last, desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable, struggling to draw herself out of a drowning world, a drowning world awash with the color of fresh blood…

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She woke, sweat-drenched and sobbing out her lost breath in dry heaves of fear. Tightening her fingers in the heavy blankets that surrounded her, Sango threw them off with a desperate, almost panicked cry as she realized that she was not _there_, but _here,_ in her bedroom, in her apartment, with the lights dimmed into darkness and the deep quiet of the velvety night only broken by her own harsh gasps for air.**  
**  
_Damn it!_

The dreams...the nightmares...still plagued her. Loud music. Flashing lights.

_A world gone crazy..._

It wasn't the world that was crazy. Just her.

Cursing softly under her breath, Sango pushed back the entangling blankets, damp with the sweat of her night-terrors, and fumbled her way in the dark to the small sanitary unit that abutted her bedroom in the tiny apartment she called home---for now.

She cursed louder when her bare toes struck against the clothing cubicle kept along the wall. Pain stabbed through her foot, and she clenched her teeth as her hand smacked the wall to open the san-unit's door. She stumbled inside as the door slid aside with a faint whoosh of escaping air and mechanized parts, slapping on the light panel with one hand even as she fumbled at the flat-fronted mirror with the other. Pushing aside various tubes and bottles and sending them spilling into the oval basin below in a jarring clatter of bouncing plastic, Sango gritted herteeth. She didn't care, she_wouldn't_ care in a matter of moments. She had tried, really tried, not to use the sleeping pills that she was so anxious now to take. She hated the dry mouth and numbed daze they kept her in.

But it was the only thing that kept the nightmares at bay...

Her hands shook as she wrestled open the top to the bottle, and small white pills spilled across the cup of her palm as she shook them out. She brought the pile to her mouth, but only swallowed two. Maybe one day she might have the courage---or lack of it---to swallow more, and bring the numbness, the lack of pain and caring, and allow herself to sleep forever, but she wouldn't now.

She couldn't. They wouldn't let her.

Dry-swallowing the pills, she shoved the rest back into the bottle. She almost choked as they went down, her throat was so parched. She forced them down, throat muscles working convulsively, and coughed weakly as she swallowed them past the constriction in her chest. She could almost feel them taking immediate effect---a mere figment of her imagination. The pills took a few minutes to do their work, but she could pretend that the pain in her stubbed toes was already receding, that the night-terrors that still had her shaking in reaction were diminishing and fading away…

Carefully placing the re-capped bottle back into the medicine cabinet, she ignored the spillage of various minutia in the wash basin below to close the mirrored door on the recessed cabinet. She blinked at the image revealed on the reflective surface, and for a single moment of mental clarity, she was surprised at the face that stared back at her.

Pale...so pale, with brown eyes widened into fright amid dark circles that gave testimony to her sleepless nights. The delicate, high-bones of her cheeks stood out, and she was almost surprised at how thin she had become. How wasted and drained. It was almost as if a hollow-eyed skull stared back at her, with the long length of her tangling back hair sweeping around her face in sweaty tangles. Her lips were almost bloodless, and looked bitten in nervous habit.

She looked like a drug-addict, like one of those people who sat sunken-eyed in the filth of the street, uncaring and unknowing, the fearful hunger in their eyes echoing at a deep pain and need unfulfilled...

_What have I become?_

Her father would be so ashamed of her...

She stared in horror at the face that stared back at her, as the pills dissolved into her system, and swirled through her body, starting to take effect. Her fingers felt numb and her painful toes no longer touched her empty consciousness. She focused her fading awareness on the red tattoo outlining the upper part of her eyelids---a tattoo given her by her father, as a rank among warriors, almost forgotten now since her Alteration. The scarlet tattoo stood out in the white pallor of her features like lines of blood, and she shuddered.

_Blood..._

It was the last thought before the numbing blackness overtook her mind, and she fell to the floor amongst the discarded bottles and various plastic litter, lying curled in the fetal position on the cold, uncaring tile of the bathroom floor.

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A long, tapered claw tapped the data-disk with almost absent-minded habit, but the small man who waited on the Taiyoukai knew that the Lord Sesshoumaru never did anything absently. Instead, it was a deliberate move on the Lord's part to deceive the smaller man into thinking that he might be dealing with someone other than who he was.

A deadly player of the Game.

But Gyorg Laveshi had not survived his years as a secrets man by taking anything at face value, and he could feel the cold calculation in the remote, golden eyes that studied his every reaction. He kept his bland features still; he had been trained to fade into the background, and he knew that barely a twitch of reaction would betray the inner thoughts that circled through his mind.

Although who knew what these youkai could do, what they were capable of. The old ones, the pure-bred of the noble line, were devious, ruthless, and cold. It was the rumors of old grannies and fearful colonists who whispered that the Taiyoukai, the nobles of the old line, could read the mind of a man as easily as a man could read the data on a scan-reader or vid-disk. Gyorg had scoffed at the idea, but he wasn't as sure now that he was faced with one of them.

The Taiyoukai abruptly left off his idle tapping and steepled his clawed hands in front of him. Gyorg could not hide the faint flinch that twitched across his shoulders at the sudden movement, and the golden eyes narrowed the slightest bit as a faint smile hovered across the cold mouth and was gone like a whispered promise in the night.

Lord Sesshoumaru sank back into the plush leather of his seat, truly relaxing for the first time now that they both understood who was in charge and in total control of this meeting. Gyorg allowed wry amusement to flicker across his rather unremarkable features before donning the bland façade of his chosen profession once more.

"You assure me, Mr. Laveshi, that this operative is the best you have available for my...purposes." The pause before the Lord's meaning was perfectly clear to both of them.

Gyorg nodded sharply, hating these games of finesse that the youkai enjoyed. He was not usually so impatient, but there was something in the Lord's eyes that made a shaft of ice shoot straight down his spine in instinctive fear. He was not usually one to allow his pride to come into play, but, damn it, he loathed how this powerful noble made him feel as if he were as insignificant as a microbial worm.

"She is." He coughed, and stirred uneasily. Could that coldly beautiful face know the inner doubts that haunted his thoughts?

The golden eyes narrowed. "She is not what I expected from your company's bio. I thought your people were professionals. This girl hardly seems stable, and from what I understand, she has not worked her particular talents in many months."

Gyorg remained silent.

"This...situation...requires delicate handling, Mr. Laveshi. I hope you understand that fact. Implicitly."

"Your wishes in the matter are fully considered, my lord." Gyorg bowed slightly.

The Lord allowed another of those cold smiles to pass across his lips. "And the people you represent believe that this mere onna, this broken taijiya, who failed in her last mission and was caught by station authorities and forced into Identity Alteration to save her sanity and allow her some small modicum of life in a 'normal' society would be the perfect operative for the mission in which I have commissioned you?"

Gyorg did not dare to show his personal reservations about the decision of his superiors; the Taiyoukai would know it immediately and exploit it to the detriment of his associates. "That is my superiors' belief, yes."

"Ah." The Taiyoukai's mouth quirked, and Gyorg could not help but feel that his own doubts on the matter had been laid bare for the cold Lord to see. He cursed silently as the golden eyes continued to study him for a long moment, before the Taiyoukai leaned forward and picked up the small data-disk that contained all the information currently available on the former operative, Sango Jennar.

"And how, exactly, is this mere girl to prove herself a benefit to me?" The Lord asked him, watching closely for his reaction.

Gyorg kept his features still, though his palms were damp with sudden, nervous fear. The Taiyoukai could probably smell the fear on him, and he cursed the superior senses of the inu Lord who affected him like no other had before, as if he were a junior on his first mission and not the seasoned veteran and negotiator that he was. He wondered, suddenly, why his associates had sent him, and the only thought that could come to him was that he was getting past his prime, and thus expendable. That thought was not comforting. At all.

"Miss Jennar's Alteration makes her an ideal candidate for this mission, my lord. You need someone who has been trained in assassination, who knows how to handle herself in...delicate...situations, who is able, also, to get past the strict security that surrounds one of the Taiyoukai, and who, to use your very words, is 'unknowing and innocent of malice thought', so that she might be able to get_into_ close enough proximity to the particular target so that he will know nothing, expect nothing." Gyorg's damp hands clenched as the golden eyes bored into his throughout his long speech. He coughed slightly, and hated himself for the weakness of it.

"Miss Jennar is the perfect candidate for this mission, my Lord. The very Alteration that you question allows us to use her, unknowing, to infiltrate the target's location, and too further use her skills as we deem fit. Her skills are inbred into her. She is one of only a few who has been genetically engineered to do what she was trained to do from birth."

"You tout the skills of your 'bred' assassins, Mr. Laveshi. You demand quite a fee for their services. And yet you ignore one very important fact. You speak of this girl's skills, this girl's trustworthiness. And yet, in her last mission, she did not live up to your expectations. Even with all of your touted 'genetic' training, she was not skilled enough to succeed in her last mission, and was caught by the very authorities your company claims to avoid."

"That will not happen again." Gyorg replied with a firm confidence he did not at all feel.

"And why is that, Mr. Laveshi?" A thin brow raised in mocking question. Why should I trust you, it said to him.

"For the very fact that she is expendable, my lord Taiyoukai." Gyorg kept his face still, even though his thoughts circled like mad dogs. _As am I._

The tong did not suffer failures, and if he proved unsuccessful in his own mission of persuasion, and failed to close the deal that had been started so many months before among people he did not know and would never know of, he would become as Miss Sango Jennar was.

Expendable.

"You do little to reassure me, Mr. Laveshi. I am certain that the Company you represent would not be very pleased with your current performance right now."

How had that evil bastard been able to tell what scared him the most? Gyorg cursed soundlessly, but forced himself to nod thoughtfully. "There is not much more reassurance I can give you, my lord, except to say that the men I represent, or the 'Company' as you so put it, do not take your offer of monetary compensation lightly. The sum, in itself, is enough to ensure that we would do our utmost to fulfill the commission you do us the honor to bestow. The very Alteration that you question as to make Miss Jennar unfit is the very tool that allows the party I represent to manipulate the taijiya in any way we deem necessary to complete the mission."

"And what reassurance do I have, Mr. Laveshi, that this mission will be carried out and that this is not merely a scam in order to collect the sizeable fee I'm offering for your Company's services?" The Taiyoukai was a sharp one, but why should he be surprised? This demon was one cold bastard, and Gyorg knew that his life was worth less than the air he breathed right now.

But his superiors had been prepared for the Taiyoukai's reticence, and had given him leave to do the extraordinary. There was more than one party who wished this particular target---a Taiyoukai like this inu Lord---dead. And if the 'Company' could earn a commission alongside their own wishes, than it was just frosting on the cake.

"Our reassurance is this, my lord. We will not request payment of the fees we require until the assignment is completed. We will refuse any financial obligation on your part until we have fulfilled our end of the bargain."

The thin brows rose at that, and there was a golden glint in the cold eyes. "Ah." A faint smile hovered over the cold mouth. A terrible smile. "I am pleased that our desires align each other's. I understand, Mr. Laveshi. Perfectly."

Gyorg wanted to lick the dryness from his lips, but dared not show any such weakness. He walked a knife's edge of danger, more danger than he had ever tread in any of his days as an on-hand operative in the Company's more direct confrontations. He knew, suddenly, that his days were numbered as a clawed hand waved airily at him and the pale-golden eyes looked past him with courteous acknowledgment.

"You have yourself a bargain, then, Mr. Laveshi."

Gyorg jumped up, purely on instinct, his pale eyes widening as he saw the grim-faced man clad in black behind him. He tried desperately to avoid the silent dart-gun that faced him, and knew that it was his own Company who had betrayed him. He jerked as the dart thudded home, square in his throat, cutting off his weak cry to a gurgle of choking gasps. The pale eyes blanked even as he fell to the floor, to spasm out his life in silent agony.

The man in black bowed stiffly. He knew nothing of what had passed between the unearthly beautiful Taiyoukai and the small man who had sat across from him. His directive had been clear. As soon as the man had sealed the bargain, he was to be silenced. Forever.

He was, after all, expendable.

The Taiyoukai picked up the data-disk with a thoughtful air, before grinding it to dust between his powerful claws. Shaking the dust off of his white fingers with distaste, he stood up. He did not ask how the black-clad man had gotten through his own tight security, or how the Company had managed to infiltrate his defenses to destroy one of their own. It was a mere demonstration of their abilities. They were worth every mini-credit of their reputation, and they were more than adequate for the purpose in which he had commissioned them.

He addressed the black-clad man with a cold smile. "Tell your superiors that we are agreed, and that I shall leave the matter in their capable hands." With that, he left the room to the black-clad assassin and the dead corpse once called Gyorg Laveshi.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star-crossing AU universe. K/S I/K

A/N: Forgot to add my sincere thanks to Fairia, who beta-ed my first chapter, helped me write the first Sango scenes and reconciled me to a dead corpse. Additional thanks go to Dark Queen, who listened late into the night as I mumbled through bad grammar on the second. XD

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

CHAPTER TWO

Sango regarded herself with mild disgust. In the harsh light of day, she dismissed the terrors of the night before with customary brusqueness, mildly tainted with acute embarrassment. The psychological exercises in which she had been reprogrammed took over, and she picked herself up off of the cold tile, ignoring the cramping muscles that had tightened from the uncomfortable bed she had slept in. She automatically proceeded to pick up the various bottles and tubes that littered the wash-basin and floor around her. Putting them back methodically into the recessed cabinet and into their established places, she soon had the mess cleared up as if it had never been.

Just as the mess that had once been in her mind had been cleared by the psychological Alteration that she had been given, so that nothing of what disturbed her remained.

With habitual movements, she disrobed and turned on the shower. Beneath the splattering drops, she washed away the dried sweat from her skin and shampooed the tangles from her long hair. Her mind focusing solely on the next task, she ignored the dulled ache that hovered like a sore tooth at the back of her thoughts.

_Focus on the little things, one at a time, in order of_ _sequence._

Was the thought hers, or one implanted by the psychological purging of Identity Alteration? It didn't matter. Focus on the little things.

Brush your hair and tie it up taut so that no hair would escape confinement, pull on the grey synthetic cloth of your plain uniform and seal it tight, so that nothing would be different from any of the dozens of others who worked with her in the cafeteria on Level Two.

Slipping on the plain boots that completed her work ensemble, Sango made certain that her ID tags were hanging around her neck and that her papers were in the upper pocket of her coveralls where any who demanded to see them could retrieve them easily. She opened the door to her tiny apartment, and locked it automatically behind her. The place was as barren and clean as if she had never lived there, as barren and clean as it was every time she departed it for the day.

As she walked the long, familiar route from her living quarters to her work assignment post on the secondary level of Station Nine, Sango ignored the mild grumbling in her empty stomach. She had forgotten to eat breakfast, but she often forgot. Food was fuel, and when the dull ache spread to a sluggish lethargy due to under-nourishment, she would finally stop to eat.

Food was only regarded as replenishment of energy used, or so Alteration had impressed on her. A side effect, the psy-medic Dr. Higurashi had told her with an almost pitying glance at her thin frame. She had ignored the pity as she had ignored the psy-medic's words. She was an empty shell of automatic response, and preferred it that way. The barrier of Alteration allowed her to ignore the painful emotions she hid from, and the painful memories that hovered behind them.

She focused on the little things in life. The routine, and the banal. She was dimly aware that at one time her life had been chaotic and unpredictable, that she had never known from one day to the next what might occur. At one time, she might have relished it, but now she regarded her old life with a faint sense of disturbed unease. _Focus on the little things._ The old life was gone, dead. There was only the here, and now.

She went to work each day. They had offered her a rest-day, which she might take off and spend time on her own, amusing herself as she sometimes, dimly, realized others did. But she hated the disturbance to her daily routine, loathed the hours spent alone when the painful, angry memories might creep out of the darkness and eat at her.

She hated the silence of her own rooms more than the dreary drudgery of work in the cafeteria. And not all of the work was hard and unrewarding. There was the pride she could claim in a task accomplished---a table or surface cleaned, a floor mopped free of dirt, or even the simple finality of emptied disposal units and trash receptacles. And sometimes, sometimes, she was allowed to help the harassed cooks and serving staff. She did not like interacting with the various diners who came to the station's cafeteria, it made her tense and worried when they responded to her strange, almost timid behavior as if she were something peculiar and not quite real. But she was proud of the work she did, of the help she gave in the tasks assigned her.

It was one of the little things she could focus on.

Cooperation and stability, doing something to aid others. Something useful. Something needed by society. These simple ideals had become important to her since her Alteration. What had been before did not matter, was not necessary to her existence now. The Alteration, something she had not requested she knew with a disturbed sense of unreality, but something--that she understood with the psychologically-trained awareness of it---that she had needed, was allowing her to pursue a new existence.

A _focused_ existence.

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Dr. Kikyou Higurashi watched the young woman with faint concern marring her white brow. The man in a plain grey suit who stood beside her ignored the workers below them as if they held no consequence. They didn't, in his world.

_Beaurecrats._

"I am not certain that Miss Jennar would be a good candidate for relocation." Kikyou began tactfully with a frown. She was a reserved woman, who did not like interacting with many people. People were too disturbing, too unpredictable. She preferred her work as a research psychologist and medical doctor. She understood disease, understood research and the cold discipline and impersonality of scientific medicine.

She felt a mild compassion for those placed under her care, but her very nature allowed her to be a brilliant doctor in her chosen field of psychoanalysis.

"Did I ask for your opinion, Dr. Higuarashi?" The man replied mildly, and Kikyou's dislike of the little, self-important weasel increased. How dare he barge in on her, and demand that she accompany him on this survey of specified individuals? But Dr. Latham, the director under which she worked, had ordered her compliance with the station-representative's wishes. Their funding came directly from Station Nine, and what the Lord Sesshoumaru and his mouth-piece of a council demanded, they received.

"I only asked you, doctor, if that woman down there has assimilated her Identity Alteration as proscribed by the Council." The nasty little man went on, full of his own petty delusions of power and relishing what little he held over her.

Kikyou did not hide her contempt or dislike. "Miss Jennar has completed her preliminary psychological redirection as decreed by the Council of Nine."

"Then she is past needing your coddling, Dr. Higurashi." The man smiled condescendingly.

Kikyou disdained to reply to the man's nasty comment. It was true that Sango Jennar was past her observational period, that the psychological Alteration she had undergone had had more than enough time to take permanent effect on her psyche, but the girl who worked so diligently below them disturbed her.

There were times in which Kikyou would entertain faint suspicions that the enormous impact of Alteration had _not_ taken complete effect, that there was more that lay beneath the surface to this girl's mind than what showed in the vacant brown eyes of an Altered individual. There was something that lurked there, disturbing the doctor's peace of mind. And she felt a modicum of responsibility for the young woman. Sango Jennar had been _her_patient, had been_her_ experiment,_her_ responsibility. Kikyou hated to let her go out from under her careful observation and reinforcement.

But it was not in her power to keep the girl here, where she might continue to reaffirm Alteration's psychological prerogatives. And while it disturbed her, that the Station's council had decreed that a certain number of individuals who were able to work independently on various, mundane tasks such as Sanitation and Food Prep would depart on the starship _Eminence_ for the colonial world of Kyouko (where their particular abilities and lack of psychological impairment or personal grievances would interfere with their rather dreary, yet necessary jobs) still she must let her concerns over this particular girl go.

If Station decreed that Sango Jennar was well enough to accompany the general work-team to Kyouko, then she washed her hands of it. The Identity Alteration training the girl had received would either prove dominant, or the girl would go insane under the pressures of change. She, Kikyou, had no power over the girl's future, and less concern.

Or so she told herself.

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Sango's gaze flickered over the silent woman with unease. The doctor, usually so remote and businesslike, seemed somewhat put out, and it made Sango feel agitated and confused. She did not like change in the familiar routine of her world, and the fact that Dr. Higurashi was not acting with her normal, clinical professionalism mildly perturbed her.

Sango actually dared to voice a question, though she had to clear the dryness from her throat and swallow a few times before the whisper came out as more of a hoarse croak than a question. "Is something wrong, doctor?"

Dr. Higurashi's head jerked up, and she gave her patient a slightly surprised glance. The remote brown eyes seemed to focus on her, Sango, as a person for once, and not as a simple case-study.

Compassion flickered across the deep darkness of the psy-medic's gaze, and then she looked away, troubled. "I should not be the one to tell you this. Your orders come directly from HQ. But I do not see any benefit in allowing you to be distressed with unanswered questions."

Sango's forehead wrinkled slightly in a frown, before the deeper training of her Alteration asserted itself and funneled her silent agitation away. _Focus on the little things…_

She waited patiently for the doctor to speak, and it was almost as if she listened from a greater distance than where the doctor stood, right beside her. The words passed over her with little effect, though a small part of her grew worried and tensed at the abrupt decision of her superiors to have her transported out of Station Nine's catery unit and on assignment to some strange, orbiting colony out in the middle of nowhere. But she had no control over her own life or decisions anymore, and with a faint sense of unease, she had the vague feeling that she had never, ever, _truly_ had control over her own destiny.

She took the news of her release and relocation as she did everything else since her Alteration---with a stoic acceptance of what she had no control over, and an almost dulled sense of agreeable affability. Above all, she must not show fear, or give into the faint alarm that hovered across the back of her thoughts. Therein lay her ruin. She had a vague sense that to show fear was to show weakness…

"Do you understand, Miss Jennar?" Dr. Higurashi asked her, her brown eyes compelling.

Sango nodded once in acknowledgement. She understood.

Dr. Higurashi's dark eyes scanned hers for a long moment. Sango sat expressionlessly, her body relaxed.

Sheep for the slaughter.

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There were four of them, moving like controlled automatons as they lined up together in front of the processing desk, escorted by a white Medic and a bored man from Station Security. The clerk behind the desk, young, curious, blinked up at the small group of tranportees and smiled tentatively as the medic motioned for Sango to step up first. The young woman was quite pretty, if thin, and the processing clerk gave her the once-over with admiration.

"Where ya headed?" He asked, undeterred by the hovering Sec officer. The girl…Sango Jennar…just stared at him without reaction, like she had never even heard him. He gave her an irritated glance, which was intercepted by the white-robed medic.

"These four recruits need to be cleared for the starhip _Eminence_. That is all you need to know."

The clerk frowned, not liking some jumped-up doctor telling him what to do. But those four gave him the creeps. Not one of them even flicked an eyelid at him, and they stood around like zombies until the last one's personal papers were stamped with release approval. And then they all shuffled along at the medic's wave, the Sec officer taking up the rear, fighting back a yawn as if he had nothing to fear from them.

The clerk stared after them as the small group passed through the intake tunnel and into the decontamination chamber beyond. It was only then that the thought occurred to him that they might be some of the Altereds people were whispering about. It was almost unnerving how unresponsive they were, how much they acted like mechanical robots, or empty-headed zombies. It was downright sick.

"Freaks." He muttered under his breath, swiveling back around as a new pair of people---this couple thankfully all-too-real, with a couple of noisy brats in tow---came forward with papers in hand.

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She awoke with a start as the metallic floor under her body shuddered to life. She jerked at the unfamiliar motion, and hissed as cramped muscles twitched with returning feeling. The white pills scattered around her spoke volumes. Blinking sleep-caked eyes, Sango focused on them with a faint sense of mild dismay.

Gathering them up one by one consumed her conscious mind for quite a time, and as she carefully replaced the cap and put the little bottle away in her designated drawer, she worried at the deeper implications of it. What had made her so agitated that she could not remember taking them? It was worrisome, but she must focus on changing into another set of coveralls. The ones she wore were wrinkled and stiff with sweat. She wished she could take a shower, clean the tangles from her hair, and wash the imagined dirt from her skin.

The small cabin she had been allocated, however, did not contain direct access to sanitary facilities. Sango settled for changing into a clean uniform, which she had unpacked into the shallow drawer that lined the bottom of her chosen berth. Bunks were sandwiched along either wall, rising three high, and the small room could have slept six in close quarters.

There was barely any room between the two rows for her to maneuver, and although she had the whole room to herself, Sango was careful to keep her intrusion to the bed she had been assigned. She spent some time re-making the bunk and re-folding the few contents of her single drawer, so that the dirtied coverall would not contaminate any of the others.

_"An obsession with cleanliness and order is one of the various side effects of Alteration..."_

Where had she heard that voice that echoed in her mind? A picture of the psy-medic, Dr. Higurashi, flickered out of her memory, but she dismissed it---as well as the intrusive thought from before. Why she had resorted to the small, white sleeping aids was no concern of hers. She must be ready when they called for her.

It took her over an hour to brush her long, black hair into order. Each stroke of the comb was rhythmic, soothing. She brushed the troubled thoughts away with each methodic stroke, and even when her hair was satin-smooth and shiny from brushing, she continued until she was satisfied that it was as tidy as she could make it---and then once more just to ensure that not one hair might stray out of place from the tight ponytail in which she confined it. The shorter tendrils of her bangs and cheeks caressed her skin with static, but she was finally satisfied with the result.

Having nothing more to do, she sat on her designated bunk and waited. Folding her hands in front of her, she stared at the far wall, ignoring the continued shuddering of the ship as it accelerated into deep space. Her expression was calm and remote, her brown eyes blank.

Eventually, they would come and tell her what she would need to do.

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Kagome stood on the upper observation deck, her hands curled tight on the thin, metal safety bar that separated the open observation deck from the protective bubble of clear plaz-glass. From this angle, it almost felt as if she were flying through the passing stars without the thick metal and plastic shielding that kept the vast vacuum of space at bay. Pinpoints of light whirled past, swirling illuminations twitching through the dark blackness of deep space.

It was _awesome!_

"Inuyasha! Come look at this view!"

Her impatient mate gave her an annoyed glance out of golden-amber eyes.

"Feh." He snorted with an irritated shrug. He didn't give a(crap) if the view was great. It was just a bunch of stupid stars out there. Nothing to make such a damn fuss over. But Kagome was always making a fuss over something.

She looked at the world like an intrigued child. An innocent child. She was so sweet and gullible. It was _his_ job to protect her from her rather naive views on life. Her unfeigned delight in the world around them could get on his nerves sometimes, but it was also one of the things he treasured most about the woman he loved.

Kagome wrinkled her nose at him, though her brown eyes were lit with amusement. Inuyasha only fronted a world-weary attitude. At heart, he was just as sweet as she was. She pretended not to notice---his pride was prickly---but it was one of the things she loved about him. Granted, she loved _everything_about him.

Abandoning her inspiring view from the glass, she went to her silver-haired hanyou and slid her arms around his waist. Snuggling up, she gave him a tender smile. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but a strong arm draped over her shoulders possessively as he hauled her tighter against his side.

Kagome's brown eyes grew dreamy. "It's so beautiful." She waved airily at the wide-open view of the observation deck, where the stars streamed past in flittering motes across inky emptiness. She still couldn't believe that she and her hanyou mate were traveling across the galaxy to a future where there would no one looking down on them for their choice of mate in a divisive society. Where the specter of Inuyasha's cold, older brother and her worrisome mother would not haunt them.

Inuyasha made a derisive noise in the back of his throat. Who would ever think that this barbarian of a hanyou was the younger brother to the aristocratic---and autocratic--- Lord Sesshoumaru? They were so different, and not only for their mothers. Where Sesshoumaru was all remote elegance and icy disdain, taking for granted his titles and inheritance as one of the old line of youkai nobility, Inuyasha was so much more earthy and _real._

Sesshoumaru had threatened to disinherit his half-human brother when he had started dating Kagome. The Taiyoukai had actually thought that that threat would actually work. But Inuyasha, in his typically blunt style, had told the austere Lord to go (kick) himself, and had immediately shown up at Kagome's home, much to her agitated mother's displeasure, and told her he meant to leave their stringent, role-wearied world for something better on the other end of the universe.

Kagome had been concerned over Inuyasha's sudden plans. He demanded she come with him. She had been filled with indecision...could she leave her anxious mother or her little brother, just now entering Secondary? Could she walk away from the small clerical job she had just qualified for? It didn't pay much, but it was a start. It was true that she didn't really have any ties to Thetis, but to abandon everything, the only world she had known, for some unknown future on an unknown world on the other side of the galaxy?

But then she would have Inuyasha. With no strings attached. And _that_had finally decided her. Because she had known from the first moment she had met him...cussing her out as he nearly ran over her crossing the street. He had lurched his motorbike to a stop and called her an idiot.

It was love at first insult.

She had giggled at him, and he had stared at her like she was stark raving mad. It had ended with her riding behind him on his bike, and him taking her out the next day, and the next.

They had had a hasty exchange-of-vows in front of a harassed magistrate, and Inuyasha had triumphantly announced that they would be heading for Kyouko, where he had a few friends among the Ookami Clan that claimed that section of the galaxy as their territory. _That _really sat in his brother's craw, that an inu of the old blood would seek his fortune among their wolfish rivals. Inuyasha had relished the thought of Sesshoumaru's reaction, but they had never seen it.

As soon as they were married, Inuyasha had booked passage on the _Eminence,_ whose destination included the Yorokuzo cluster. They had spent the first day in their cabin, vigorously expressing their new-found love. Kagome blushed in memory---Inuyasha was an enthusiastic lover. Her thoughts turned romantic, and she idly caressed her hanyou and softly whispered, "Inuyasha?"

Her mate's only answer was the disturbed rumbling of his belly. White ears flattened against his silver hair, and he gave her a sheepish grin as Kagome's mouth fell open in surprise. Romantic thoughts dissolving, she giggled. "Hungry?"

"Yeah." He drew her close and nibbled on her ear so that a different kind of hunger stirred in her as well, but his belly protested---loudly.

Kagome shook her head, and smacked her curled fist lightly against his arm. "You're a walking stomach, Inuyasha."

He gave her a fanged grin. "Well, I have to keep my strength up."

Kagome shook her head, but her arms twined around his waist as she nudged him toward the direction of the cafeteria. The ship was equipped with two restaurants, and they could even summon room service for an exorbitant fee. But they both preferred just taking their meals, free with the purchase of their fare, in the noisy camaraderie of the second-class catery.

Inuyasha kept his arm draped across her shoulders as they walked from the upper deck and toward the inner tiers of the vast ship. Even through the thick carpeting that muffled their footsteps, they could feel the vast thrumming movement of the ship as it hurtled through space. The journey, even with FTL drives, would take a few weeks to get to their destination. It was their honeymoon, and Kagome planned to make GOOD use of it.

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Dinner was served buffet-style, and Inuyasha had gone back to the long bar twice already to fill up the empty hole that made up his stomach. Kagome had piled her plate full on her first trip, and taken a taste of everything, but it was Inuyasha who had ended up emptying his three plates _and_ hers.

There had been few patrons in the cafeteria when they had arrived, but the crowd rose steadily as they dined, until now it was a maze to work through the over-crowded facility. Most passengers in second class would not pass up a free meal.

Kagome insisted on carrying her own tray to the depository, as Inuyasha had more than enough to juggle with three trays and various empty plastic cups. He sucked beer like others drank water, and never seemed the worse for it. It was one of the things about him that Kagome found exasperatingly adorable.

Kagome wormed her way through the growing crowds, and stepped aside---and into someone---trying to avoid yet another person barging past her. Inuyasha snapped an irritated growl at the man, who was already disappearing into the crowd. Kagome turned to apologize to the girl she had stumbled into, and blinked as a pair of vacant brown eyes met hers.

"I'm so sorry." Kagome apologized. "I didn't mean to bump into you."

The eyes seemed puzzled, and then there was a flash of understanding. "I'm fine." There was an awkward pause, and then the girl said, "Thank you."

Kagome dumped her tray into the designated waste-bin, and smiled warmly. The girl was roughly her own age, and while she was way too thin, and dressed in an ugly, army-green coverall, she was really pretty. Her hair was swept back into a tight ponytail, and she had the most intriguing scarlet tattoo on the upper side of her eyelids, like permanent eye-shadow. Hadn't Inuyasha's brother Sesshoumaru worn something similar? There was something about the strange girl that was just plain intriguing...

Sticking out her hand, Kagome said, "Hi. I'm Kagome."

The girl looked at her extended hand with a faint frown. The brown eyes flicked up to hers, and Kagome was taken aback at the sudden flash of tensed apprehension in them. "I'm sorry, miss."

Kagome let her hand fall, but was hardly discouraged. "What's your name?"

The girl paused, as if taken aback. She had to think for a moment. "Sango. Jennar."

"Do you work here?" Kagome asked, eyes scanning the ugly coverall that now seemed a uniform.

"Yes." There was an undecided timidity in the girl, and Kagome smiled encouragingly at her. She had seen few people her own age on the ship, and she felt an instant fascination for this strange woman. Although she couldn't say why, Kagome _liked_ her, and was intensely curious about this Sango's strange behavior. Kagome's warmth was seeping into the awkward girl and she actually managed a faint smile in return.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha interrupted with a brusque growl, suddenly, vitally _there,_ right beside them.

The girl shrank back, away from the hanyou. Her brown eyes had widened as they lit on Inuyasha's rather tell-tale ears. Kagome thought them adorable, but this girl seemed suddenly tense as she frankly stared. Inuyasha's ears twitched in irritation and his amber eyes narrowed in annoyance. He hated it when simple ningen stared at the gift of his father's youkai blood.

"Inuyasha." She drew out in warning until his ears flattened against the silver-white mane. Kagome grabbed one of his clawed hands in hers. With an over-bright smile, she introduced, "This is Sango."

"Whatever." Inuyasha tossed his armload of cups and trays into the waste-bin with a loud clatter. The strange girl flinched as if terrified. Her eyes were wide, her breath short.

"I'm sorry." Kagome apologized, mentally berating her mate for his callous behavior. The strange girl was almost cowering away from her sweet little puppy! Poor thing---she was scared of her own shadow! Kagome made up her mind right then and there that she would befriend this poor little orphan, strange as she was. The poor thing _needed_ a friend.

"Hanyou." The whisper was so faint that Kagome could barely hear it. Inuyasha gave the strange girl an ambered look of exasperation.

"Obviously." His fangs flashed, and he abruptly turned away in disgust. Kagome gave the girl a mute look of apology. She paused to grab one limp white hand in her two, and was surprised at how cold it was.

"Ignore him. He can be so rude! You don't have to be scared of him, though. He's just a big puppy. All bark." The girl gave her a confused look, and stared at Kagome's hands clasping hers as if startled by the touch. Kagome wanted to hug her, but settled for releasing her hand and patting her shoulder instead. "I hope to see you around, Sango. I'd like to get to know you. I think we could be friends."

The confusion in the honey-brown eyes was almost heart-wrenching.

"Kagome!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. One day, she would have to break Inuyasha of that horrible habit of hollering for her across the room, but today would not be the day. Turning her head, she called back, "Coming!"

With a smile in Sango's direction, she said airily, "I'll see you around, okay?"

Sango did not even have a chance to reply as Kagome whirled away with a final wave and carefree smile, hurrying over to her annoyed mate's side.

6666666666666666

"Why the hell do you want to see her again?" Inuyasha demanded irritably.

Kagome just smiled. "I just do. She needs a friend."

"She's weird." Inuyasha replied bluntly.

"She's lost." Kagome said with sudden seriousness.

"She's an idiot." Inuyasha growled, still itchy from the girl's wacky reaction to him.

Kagome just shook her head at him. Leaning up on her toes, she kissed her short-tempered mate, and patted his arm, much as she had Sango's. "You couldn't understand, koi."

"Feh. Whatever." Inuyasha scowled.

Kagome's eyes turned cajoling as she twined her arms around her lover's waist. "Let's not argue. We have a lot better things to do with our time."

Inuyasha's amber eyes melted into gold at the dark promise in hers. Bending his head to nibble on her throat, he pulled his mate's body to his with awakened passion, annoyance quickly forgotten.

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Sango was mildly perturbed at how many times in the following days that she saw the strange girl named Kagome. It seemed as if the girl was stalking her, but that was stupid. Why would a pretty, vibrant girl like Kagome Higurashi-Takahashi hunt her out to make idle conversation? It only disturbed her because Kagome bore the same last name as the doctor who had overseen her care. But it also helped her to remember from day to day who the girl was.

Another side-effect of her psychological Alteration was short-term memory depletion, or absent-minded forgetfulness. But the name _Higurashi_ acted like a catalyst-word for Sango to remember the strange girl's various attempts to draw her out, unlike the assorted efforts day to day by other people who faded from her conscious like escaping shadows.

There were few young women onboard ship, and even Sango's vague withdrawal had not deterred quite a few men, both passengers and crew, from trying to talk to her. She dismissed their efforts with mild rebuff, and the strange behavior of an Altered automaton quickly overcame any further endeavors.

She forgot them as easily as she forgot the dark dreams that troubled her sleep as she fell into the new routine of work aboard ship. She worked long hours in the under-staffed second-class cafeteria. The ship's captain had traded temporary labor in exchange for the Altereds' passage to Kyouko. The normal work crew onboard ship avoided the four strange individuals after the few friendly overtures on their part were ignored or dismissed.

Sango was left alone for long periods of time. She did not interact with any of the others who had come with her---each was lost in their own silent world. She often sat on her bunk, staring blankly at the empty bed across from her, waiting for her next work-cycle to begin. She spent hours re-folding her few articles of clothing and in mindlessly brushing her hair, until long black strands would come out in her comb.

The meaningless emptiness was far better than the times when, alone with only her thoughts for hours on end, the dark terror that ever hovered at the back of her mind would come out to grip her in fierce possession.

It was then that she had to resort to the sleeping pills, and she loathed her need for them. The worst came when she was asleep, and her defenses and the intense psychological training of Alteration were forgotten. She would wake up in sweating terror, grabbing for the pills that were her only surcease from the torment.

_Kohaku!_

And so she tried not to sleep. It seemed the only way to keep the nightmares at bay, as the psychological conditioning that had been her daily refuge was slowly slipping from its hold. Even though she had a semblance of routine aboard ship, it was not the same intensely-controlled environment she had existed in on Station Nine. Her psychological exercises were not reinforced by interactions with Dr. Higurashi, or any of the other nameless medics who had supervised her life back on Station. In desperation, she tried to keep up the semblance of a reassuringly blank existence.

She grew thinner, and the dark circles under her hollow cheeks were more pronounced. She hated eating in the cafeteria where she worked. People would ask her, in concern, if she was feeling all right.

Even her co-workers had begun to notice, and the ship's medic had come to see her, advising that she needed to rest. And thus she was dismissed from work for the next three days, by the concerned, well-meaning medic's orders.

A prospect that left Sango utterly terrified.

Three days. Three days with nothing to do, and nowhere to go. No routine. No continuance. No meaning. Everything that held her sanity together was being deliberately taken away from her, and always in the back of her mind were the threateningly dark terrors that hovered, waiting, for her to let her guard down.

_No..._

The promised oblivion of the little white pills frightened her. For some reason, she thought that she would not be able to stop at just two, that she would seek eternal oblivion in their inviting presence.

And the thought of self-destruction was even more terrifying than a reality of quasi-existence.

Her thoughts whirled in desperation, seeking anything to distract her from her internal fears. There was something that Higurashi had said...something that nagged at her. She could almost hear the voice of Dr. Higurashi in her mind, but no---it was different. Higher. More alive than the psy-medic's could ever be...

_"When I get bored, I take a walk. I love to see the stars going by. Inuyasha thinks I'm crazy, but I never tire of the view on deck."_

Take a walk.

A walk? Where to? There was no direction in it, no meaning. The girl was always chattering away at her, even if she were not really paying attention. But Sango suddenly had an image, a surprisingly vivid image in a foggy world of half-existence, of Kagome saying those exact words to her sometime in the past day or two. Was it yesterday? Or the day before? Did it matter? Time had little meaning, there existed only the routine. And it was gone from her now.

In desperation, Sango was willing to try anything. And the name Higurashi was almost a catalyst to her. Dr. Higurashi, with the quiet voice and the remote eyes, had always told her what to do, how to feel, how to act. Kagome Higurashi was not her doctor, but her words made some sense in an increasingly unfamiliar world.

At least, it was something to do that she could focus on, something she could use to keep the hovering darkness at bay. It was such a small, simple, little thing that filled her with such dread and terror because it was such an independent thought to a mind that had been Altered toward obedient dependence...

_Focus on the little things..._

Sango abruptly stood up, and faced the blank wall that was her door. With sudden determination and clarity, she knew what she would do.

She would take a walk.

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Those three days of freedom were a wonder to Sango. Kagome spent as much time with her as she could. By the end of the day, Sango was so weary that she slept undisturbed, without once having to resort to the little white pills she loathed.

Kagome took her all over the ship. They had even dined in one of the first-class restaurants, at a tiny table in a quiet corner, with the stars around them flickering past through the open-sided windows. Kagome had ordered her something sweet that melted into a thick soup as Sango had stared in utter fascination at the stars. Kagome had laughed over her dismay when Sango had realized that her desert had melted, and then shown her that ice cream was just as good when eaten like miso soup.

They would stand together for hours, and Kagome would speak of her life back on Thetis, the green paradise over which Station Nine circled like a metallic moon. She was free with her feelings, her worries of what the future may hold on Kyouko, her homesickness for a mother who worried too much and a brother who worried too little. And in everything, there was her love for her mate, who still made Sango nervous, though she was better at hiding it. He was brusque and rude, but not unkind, and Sango no longer flinched when he came by to claim his wife once more.

Sango treasured their time together, and kept the knowledge of Kagome's friendship like a small kernel of warmth, when the grim reality of her renewed work schedule intruded. She should have been happy to embrace the daily continuation of work, but there was something in her now that was discontented with the long hours and empty loneliness of her dull existence. Kagome was such a vibrant, beautiful person, and Sango could now feel the difference between them.

She existed like a shadow, slipping through life and scared to claim or dare more. But it had not always been that way, she had not always been so...

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The tech stared over his shoulder in nervous fright. Damn, but he wished the damn job was done.

Hunching his shoulders defensively, he jabbed a few more codes into the small computer terminal that faced him. Damn equipment. He couldn't believe he was typing out a message like a First-Worlder. But the communications relay they had given him was primitive, and cheap. Current technology had long since abandoned the old habits of the global-spanning internet that had once been the only communication that linked the various solar systems across the settled galaxy. He could see_why_ it had been abandoned. The damn thing took forever to process...

Nervously glancing over his shoulder again, the tech tapped out a second command. The cursor on the old-fashioned screen blinked for a moment, before the entire relay went dead.

Damn.

He just hoped the stupid message had gotten through.

Still, he had one more thing to do. Destroy the evidence, and then he had done his job, the one in which he had been paid hard credit for. Good credit, metal-based and hard to trace---which made the transaction all the better to_his_ way of thinking. He hoped fervently never to cross the path of that black-clad man again. That man had been one cold fish, and damn eerie.

Sweat touched his balding brow as the tech scuttled the broken relay behind some scrap metal in a back part of one of the ship's holds. It wouldn't be found there for a long time, and when it was, it would just be someone's discarded trash, abandoned and left behind.

All evidence untraceable.

And as the tech heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and walked oh-so-casually back to his work station before he was missed, the message he had tapped out sped on its way across the black vacuum of deep space...

_"Package intact. Delivery imminent…"_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Muchly appreciated. I can't make up my mind if Kouga is OOC...seems a little too mature. XD

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

CHAPTER THREE

Sango carefully stepped around a large docking cable that lay strewn across the deck. She followed the three men ahead of her, her features as bland and distant as any of them. But there was something that dwelt in her deep brown eyes that would have given Dr. Higurashi pause---a spark of awareness that was not present in her fellow Altered. Although her eyes stayed straight ahead, on the green-clad back of the man in front of her, she still took in the controlled chaos of the Shipping and Receiving area.

Passengers had alighted from the _Eminence_ hours ago. Now dockhands crawled over the surface of the ship, carefully examining the exterior for any sign of weakness. The soft _whirr_ of forklifts and clunking thunder of man-haulers made a cacophony of sound in the echoing chamber that housed the docked spacecraft as work-crews shouted back and forth to let themselves be heard over the noisy confusion.

The ship's medic had been assigned the duty of escorting the four Altereds to their work-detail quarters on Yoro. Impatient with the tiresome chore and eager to be about his own business, the medic was brusque as he led them across the frenzied space toward the Dispatch office, which was a mere plaz-glass window facing out on the docking bay.

They waited a few minutes until the frazzled man behind the window finally noticed them. "Yeah?" He demanded. "Whaddya want?"

"In-Processing." The medic scowled back.

Sango ignored the rest of the conversation as papers and work permits were handed over. She allowed her eyes to wander over the chaotic scene. She watched as a man-hauler thumped its way across the floor and grabbed up several red-coded plastic containers. Someone yelled at the dockhand to be careful, and a forklift maneuvered easily out of the way as the man in the metal harness swung his load too wide. More shouts, and this with some rather interesting adjectives.

"Miss? This way."

Sango started. For a moment, panic tightened her expression before she allowed the tensed muscles to relax and meekly followed after the rest of the men, who were vanishing into an opened door in the gun-metal wall. She had allowed her awareness of her surroundings to lapse, and that could prove dangerous. She wasn't certain how she knew that important fact, but it was seeded deep in her memory.

She would not allow it to happen again.

The man, clad in blue-grey coveralls, motioned to her again. Sango slid past him without a second glance. He was short and nondescript, easily dismissed. He did not follow the Altereds past the door. His watery grey eyes were appreciative as he watched the door slide closed on Sango's disappearing figure.

Captain Reizier was feeling harassed. He had always hated the G-force ratio of a station's spin-drive. He didn't like being stuck in one place, and he sure didn't like having to face the high-and-mighties who kept planetary resources and station-side hospitality under their thumb. Bad enough when it was a human---worse was the fact that Yoro (which circled the third planet, Kyouko, in Yorokuzo's system like a giant, metal moon) was lorded over by a youkai of the old blood.

Reizier had dealt with Lord Kouga before and he didn't like the spoiled little princeling any more than he ever had. Keeping the distaste from his face, he eyed the lounging figure before him with impatience. _Damn youkai, keeping us here when we should have left hours ago!  
_

Lord Kouga sat sprawled across the cushiony comfort of a reclining sopha, his feet propped up and his arms crossed behind his head. Long black hair, swept back in a negligent tail, tangled across the back of the sopha. Expensive, butter-soft leather hugged the powerful hips and legs. A loosened shirt, rumpled and wrinkled but still expensively made of natural fabrics, made the ookami youkai look like a degenerate. A _spoiled_ degenerate. But a sharp mind worked behind those narrowed blue eyes, and Reizier knew from past experience that you should never underestimate one of the old Line.

Even more disgusting was the youkai lord's companions. The captain recognized both of them from his passenger-log, but was still surprised to find them here. The silver-haired hanyou---a disgrace to both human and youkai sensibilities---was sprawled across a second sopha, his arm looped over the narrow shoulders of his wife, or mate, or whatever she called herself.

_Disgusting._, was what Reizier personally thought. The girl was pretty in a winsome way, it was a damn shame she had soiled herself with half-breed filth. Look at the way the dog-eared hanyou was pawing her, but the poor, misguided twit didn't seem to mind at all. She was even sitting forward, her brown eyes bright, chatting happily with Lord Kouga as if it were the most natural thing in the world!

Truly disgusting. What was the universe coming to?

Youkai fangs flashed, and Kouga winked at the hanyou Inuyasha. "You've found yourself quite a jewel there, Mutt-face. I'm impressed."

Kagome giggled as her mate scowled. "Better than you could ever do, (butt) hole."

The girl just shook her head at the foul half-breed, and wrapped her arms around him to snuggle closer.

Reizier couldn't quite keep the disgust from his face as he cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the disgraceful display in front of him.

All three tensed, and Lord Kouga raised a chilling blue gaze in his direction. The captain stiffened. That couldn't be _disgust_ in the youkai lord's eyes! Disgust...for _him?_ It was monstrous. Officious. How dare that hair-ball stare at him as if _he_ were the one who was beneath contempt? Damn all youkai, anyway! It was the destiny of man to one day rule the universe, by virtue of their superiority, and here one of them sat, smugly aware that it was he, youkai degenerate, who held the reins of power under his unnaturally clawed thumb, and not a human----

But he couldn't allow his envy and loathing to show. Kouga would gut him, damn the unnatural demonic beast!

Reizier was suddenly glad that he had bargained with that strange man clad all in black---agreeing to take on board his ship four Altered people from Station Nine with no questions asked. The man had promised that they followed the same agenda, and he had known a few of the sacred passwords for the loose fraternity that the captain secretly believed in.

_The Destiny of Man.  
_

One day the universe would be purged of youkai filth, and man would come to possess his true place among the settled worlds. The captain was a fervent, if secret, believer in that wonderful ideal. He spent too much time between differing worlds, often ruled by youkai Lords, to ever outwardly proclaim his true beliefs, but damn, he hoped that strangely disquieting visitor might be able to start the purging _here,_ with _him---_Lord Kouga.

The Lord didn't immediately address him. In fact, Reizier was ignored for the filthy creature standing beside him, the youkai with the white-spiked hair who had escorted him into the ookami's presence.

"Hakkaku." The Lord's voice was cold, accusing.

"Eh...sorry, boss." The youkai nervously shifted from foot to foot. "I didn't know what to do with him. He said you wanted to see him."

"I would be happy to leave the lists here, if my arrival is inconvenient." Reizier said stiffly, unwilling to add 'my lord' to the end, as was proper.

The hanyou had the gall to snort in derision. The ookami's blue eyes narrowed before he dismissed the captain with an off-hand wave, as if he were no more than a mindless servant.

"It is. But I've been waiting for the ship's manifest. You can leave it on your way out." The youkai lord intentionally left off the captain's title. "Hakkaku, take him out."

"Sure thing, boss." The white-spiked youkai grabbed hold of Reizier's arm before the captain could register what the hell he was doing. Yanking on him none to gently, Reizier was dragged behind the youkai toward the door.

Enraged at the abrupt departure (not to add the disgusting touch of a youkai's claws on his newly-pressed uniform), Reizier simmered, but made a token show of willing compliance. Oh, he was all too willing to leave behind such disgusting beasts! And if he had it his way, the whole universe would one day be free of their filthy presence!

It was but destiny, after all.

"I want permanent ownership." Inuyasha said bluntly.

A thick black brow rose, and Kouga scowled.

Kagome stifled a giggle---she didn't want to call attention to herself. The two of them were so much alike, hanyou and youkai, even though they were a study in color contrasts. Silver hair glinted in the dimmed light of the overheads, while Kouga's hair was so black it melted into shadow. Amber eyes glared into icy blue as the matching scowls sized each other's determination up. Neither male was one for courteous finesse, both bluntly outspoken and brashly arrogant, they always seemed on the verge of clawing at each other's throats like bristling dogs.

It was no wonder why they were fast friends.

Kouga had a certain charm (when he chose to exercise it) that her hanyou mate did not. Kagome's first wariness of the rough ookami youkai had dissolved into warm regard as he exerted that charm---much to Inuyasha's irritation---to bring her out of her initial shyness. Kagome wasn't dense; she could tell that Kouga had been amused by Inuyasha's rising ire as he mildly flirted with her. Kouga had only seemed more amused as Inuyasha's protective jealousy surfaced.

She was glad when Kouga had finally ordered dinner. Over expensive plates of crystalline glass and a surprisingly simple fare of natural, fresh foods brought up from the abundant planet that turned gently below them in cloud-swirled splendor, the combative tension between the two testosterone-laden males had faded. While Kagome had sipped at the expensively imported wine of Thetis---a pale rose wine that she had never tasted, as it's manufacture was far too expensive for a person of her limited means, but one which Kouga had insisted she try as it came from her homeworld----the ookami and her hanyou had reminisced over their shared past. Kouga, the ignored son of the old Lord, and Inuyasha, a disregarded half-brother to another, had formed a rather spurious friendship. From the tales they told of each other and the smirking memories that had them grinning at each other in remembrance, the pair of them had been quite a rebellious element, testing the patience of their rather disapproving guardians.

The trip down memory lane hadn't lasted long though. As soon as Ginta, a grey-headed ookami with a diffident smile, had come in and cleared dinner off the table, Inuyasha and Kouga had settled down to argue over contracts and tenure. Inuyasha wasn't coming to Kyouko empty-handed. He wanted to invest, and wanted a part of the action in the growing opportunities of Yorokuzo's prospects.

Now the two of them were in a fang-baring growl over the tiny details that bored Kagome no end.

Neither would give an inch without a snapping argument and counter-argument that made her want to roll her eyes over the pair of bratty children the interplay painted them.

Slipping off of the comfortable sopha, Kagome wandered aimlessly around the room. Inuyasha had looked up at her movement, showing that he wasn't unaware of her---even if he seemed to be totally obsessed in quarreling with his ookami friend. Kagome gave her possessive mate a reassuring smile as Kouga scowled at Inuyasha's distraction, and brought up yet another point of contention with a biting insult. Inuyasha replied with a curse, and called him an ookami idiot. Kouga snapped back, and the quarrel was taken up as if it had never been interrupted.

Kagome noted with amusement that Inuyasha's white ears were swiveling, keeping track of her drifting tour around the elegant suite, even though he pretended to ignore her in favor of snarling at Kouga.

Kagome wandered over to the data-pad the captain of the _Eminence_ had left on a nearby table. Bored, and idly curious, she thumbed open the visual specs, and scanned the various profiles at random. Sipping at the delicious wine she still held cupped in one hand, she bypassed lists and lists of trade-goods and cargo that had been brought in by the spaceship, and paused over the passenger log.

When she came across her own name, listed as _'Takahashi, Kagome Higurashi',_ she picked up the light-weight pad and slipped back into the comfortable sopha she had abandoned. Curling up, she read the short bio of information available on her and smiled softly over the script that stated that she and Inuyasha Takahashi were legally wed. She felt an odd little thrill over that simple statement of their marriage, and let out a happy, contented sigh.

The argument continued unabated behind her, and Kagome spent her time scanning over the bio-feeds regarding this or that passenger. Some she recognized by their vid-pics as faces she had seen onboard the _Eminence,_ others were complete strangers. There was a surprising mixture of colonists---from technicians and scientists, to planet-side agronomists and station-side entrepreneurs.

It was only in the past few years, since Kouga had taken over at his father's death, that the Yorokuzo cluster had been opened up for settlement and trade. From the little she understood, the old Lord had been rather closed off from the rest of the galaxy, zealously guarding the Ookami Clan's claimed systems and cloaking them in deliberate obscurity.

Kouga had a totally different perspective on how to rule his inheritance, and even Kagome had heard the scandalized whispers of youkai and ningen who didn't agree with Kouga's tolerant attitude toward his planetary systems. She wondered idly if it was friendship with Inuyasha, who was both human and youkai, that had affected Kouga's views. Most youkai were such traditionalists, keeping separate and aloof from the humans they ruled, guarding their power jealously, and playing the dance of politics and intrigue that was known as the Game...

Kagome started at the next vid-pic that came up on the screen, almost spilling her wine in her surprise. Quick as lightening, Inuyasha was suddenly there to snatch the delicate crystal from her fingers with a growl of impatience. Kagome ignored him, her eyes fastened on the startling picture that had distracted her. Her fingers tapped on the smaller frame, and the picture blossomed out to fill the entire screen of the data-pad.

It was the strange girl she had met aboard ship, the girl Sango. Or maybe it was her twin. An identical twin, but with the stunning beauty that Sango's bony features and pale countenance only hinted at. The arch of the brows, the lips that showed no expression, the red tattoo that crossed the lids of her thickly-lashed eyes were the same. The black hair was lustrous and feathered across creamy skin that glowed with health. Even through the frozen image of a vid-pic, there was an aura of _life_ and _living_ that surrounded her. But it was the eyes, the incredible eyes, which held Kagome spell-bound.

You didn't notice the wealth of color in the deep brown depths unless you stared at it, as Kagome was doing. The touches of cinnamon and the deepest darkness of chocolate tints. It was incredible. They were so expressive, so feeling, so _emotional._ There was such contained pain in them, such sorrow that it nibbled at her very soul with overwhelming pity.

It couldn't be the same girl. It couldn't.

But it was.

Kagome condensed the enlarged image to view the available data, and there was Sango's name at the top, with her ID number and her ship's reservations. But, strangely, there was no personal information. No planet of birth, or designated parentage. Only the simple, inescapable word, _'Unknown'._ And the other word, that infected her with perplexity...

_Alteration?  
_

Only criminals and psychotics were put through the mental rape of Identity Alteration. Not young women who took pictures with such frank, open expressions, as if they had nothing to hide---or lose. And if Sango Jennar _had_ gone through Alteration, wouldn't her original crime be spread across the data-pad, as one of the others she had seen earlier and dismissed as interesting, but not really important? That man had been a convicted rapist and pedophile. He _deserved_ Alteration. What could Sango have done that was as awful as _that?_

Kagome tapped the shrunken vid-pic again to stare at the full-sized version. She studied the open face with puzzlement. She felt a deep conviction that the girl who stared back at her could never have done something so terrible...

She just _couldn't_ have.

She felt warm breath on her cheek and jerked away in surprise. Kouga had leaned down to stare at what had captivated her attention so thoroughly and he raised a black brow at the vid-pic. There was a jaded look of appraisal in his ice-blue eyes. "You know her?"

"Er..." Kagome stirred uneasily. Kouga was almost _too_ close to her for comfort. His presence was overwhelmingly masculine and so very, well, _youkai._

She wasn't the only one to notice. A strong hand, white claws gleaming, snaked out and hauled her across the sopha and right into Inuyasha's lap. Kagome let out a startled "Eep!" of surprise, and dropped the data-pad with a plastic rattle to the floor.

Kouga's blue eyes glinted with amusement as he casually bent down to pick up the fallen data-link.

Inuyasha glared.

Kagome didn't know whether to giggle or hit him. She did both, which Inuyasha returned with a hard kiss that stole her breath away.

Kouga stared at the vid-pic thoughtfully for a moment before casually turning the screen off. In a gracefully careless movement, he sprawled across the sopha that sat kitty-cornered to the one Inuyasha and Kagome claimed. "Friend of yours?" He asked casually.

"Yes." Kagome sounded surprised by her admission.

Inuyasha snorted.

Kouga's mouth quirked.

"She's just some wacko Kagome met onboard the _Eminence."_ Inuyasha supplied with his usual graciousness.

"She is _not_ a wacko!" Kagome pushed away from her mate and protested with vehemence.

"C'mon, Kagome. She's weird!"

"She's sweet!" Kagome's brown eyes glittered with conviction.

"Feh." Inuyasha shrugged, not liking to argue about some stupid girl his wife had taken in like a lost kitten. Kagome couldn't help finding herself weird strays to adopt...look how she had adopted _him,_ hellion bastard hanyou that he was.

Amber eyes softened into tenderness and he silenced Kagome's next protest with a warm, inviting kiss. The kind of kiss he knew would melt her bones and make her forget whatever she was going to say. He kept at it, until she stared up at him in bemused bewilderment, her scent sparked with passion, and her eyes dewy with love and longing. Her lips were rosy from his ministrations, and Inuyasha looked smug.

"That's pretty effective." Kouga said dryly and Inuyasha just grinned---before Kagome punched him in the stomach for his presumption.

"OW!"

Kouga's fangs flashed in a grin as Kagome stood over her hurting hanyou and proceeded to shout at him what, exactly, was wrong with him.

Of course, the only way to end any argument with the raven-haired onna was with a kiss...

Sango was assigned a room to herself. It was a standard bunk room, a lot like the one she had had before, on the _Eminence._ But this one was large, and could have housed at least twenty bodies. There was a lot more space between the beds, which were spaced only two high, instead of three, and there were private facilities at one end, where she could use the necessary or the shower to clean the imaginary dirt from her skin.

It was echoingly empty, and Sango was grateful that it was located on a busy corridor. The noise that would have disturbed and frightened her before was now strangely comforting. She could lie on her bunk and imagine what the people outside were doing, what made them dash down the hall in such hurry or linger, their voices a murmur of different tones and blends, in conversation.

She was assigned by a harassed-looking foreman to the dayshift. All four of them had been detailed to Sanitation. Sango did not mind the work, which was menial and often disgusting. Her tools were simple, a rolling cart, broom and bag-dispenser. She wheeled her cart quietly along the back corridors in the Yoro Station, stepping out to pull the full discard out of the container and lining it with a new one.

This was work usually given to mechanized robots, but she had overheard one of the more vocal shift-leads complain that Kouga didn't want machs stinking up his Station, and so they were stuck with idiots and morons to get the job done. The shift-lead might have seen her standing there, but would not have considered it of any importance. The Altereds' reputation had preceded them, and no one made any overtures.

And so her life resumed a static pattern of dull duty and listless hours of waiting for her work cycle to begin anew. The familiar routine should have been comforting to her, should have soothed away the edgy restlessness that now plagued her waking hours. It should have allowed her to focus on the little things, as she had been taught in Alteration. But, somehow, it all really didn't matter, and it wasn't enough.

Not now.

Kouga leaned indolently against the rail, the lit tabac dangling negligently from one hand. He watched the dance-floor below him as bodies ground slowly to the music that throbbed throughout the two-tiered room. Lights in blinding flashes swirled across the sweating bodies, lighting the taut muscles of a man's naked chest in icy-blue, touching across the split-skirted thigh of a woman in frost, making Hakkaku's distinctive spikes of white hair turn pale green.

The place was packed, and noisy, and was one of the more lucrative enticements on Yoro Station for young rich tourists to spend their money. The club was simply called 'Seven', for its station-wide map designation when Kouga had planned out how he might market Yorokuzo for trade expansion. The older, more conservative members of his clan had been appalled at the idea of opening a nightclub, but Kouga knew what would draw in the rich, young crowds who spent their time spacing from one pleasure-world to another. He knew the lure of sensual-gratification; he had spent much of his jaded youth doing the same thing.

And drawing in the young noblesse brought in perspective investors, more than willing to exploit the financial opportunity those spoiled pleasure-seekers represented.

The first to come, of course, had been those who catered to the rich and obnoxious. But for every brothel or "H" den that opened, there was a need for everyday services...restaurants and cleaners and shops stocking the small necessities. The nightlife of Yoro had given the orbiting station a name, but it was the expanding trade and diverse development that would make the station a feasibly permanent settlement. It had taken a few years, but now this glittering world was only a mere fragment of the station's overall economy.

Kouga took a long draw from his tabac, and absent-mindedly flicked the ashes into the crowded dance-floor below. The upper, VIP floor that rung Seven's dance-floor was in hot demand, but he had ordered his bouncers to clear everyone out. He wanted the balcony to himself, and he was Lord. The people went, grumbling and protesting, but they went.

He was Taiyoukai, after all.

Though he rarely claimed the privilege. But it came in useful, once in a while. Like now.**  
**

He felt an odd restlessness, as if he was bored with it all. Perhaps he was. The music, the entertaining, the frivolously superficial existence. It all seemed the same, suddenly.

He thought about the look in the girl Kagome's eyes when she had stared at her hanyou mate. _That_ had been a shock. Inuyasha, hard-ass hell-raiser, now a grumbly puppy in love.

Almost sickening.

He had never expected Inuyasha to be caught. But he was. And seemed happy about it. Damn happy.

Whatever.

_"KOUGA-KOI!"  
_

Kouga suppressed an impatient growl. Here came Ayame, her red hair bouncing in twin pigtails, her stunning body wrapped in too-little natural cloth of stunning cost. She was a hot little female, in and out of bed, and she knew how to do things to an ookami that made him howl with pleasure. She kept her trim body in superb shape, wore the most expensive clothes---all in white to better show off her carefully sprayed-on tan and continuously dyed, fire-red hair.

Ayame now scorned the club-scene, though that is where he had first met her. She was the granddaughter of one of his father's closest advisors, and a spoiled brat of a female youkai. She knew where the real power lay, and wasn't averse to using her considerable charms in order to get what she wanted. Kouga himself wasn't averse to using her charms either. But never for anything permanent, which was Ayame's ultimate goal.

And despite all of her considerable skills and charms, Kouga was already getting bored with the red-headed hottie who couldn't quite keep the hard ambition from her deep, lens-colored green eyes. Taking a deep drag from his lit tabac, Kouga was soon enveloped in a cloud of heady perfume and expensive white fur. Wet lips kissed his cheek as he shrugged out of Ayame's tight grasp.

"Kouga?" The question was soft and slightly hurt.

Cool blue eyes scanned the youkai from head to toe, missing nothing---including the _very_ expensive sapphire that now dangled between pert little breasts barely covered in white silk.

"That's new." He said, a slight growl in his bored voice. Ayame was an expensive bauble to keep.

Ayame warily waved any concerns of money aside. "It's merely a trifle. You can be so silly, darling! The shop owner was more than glad to give it to me for a really paltry sum---almost at cost, really. Seeing as I am your _lady."_

Ayame's green eyes flicked over his, trying to see if her sally had worked. She was always dropping overly broad hints that she was expecting to see an even more expensive jewel one day on her finger, proclaiming herself his Lady in truth.

Kouga chose to ignore the slight bitterness in her sharp words, and turned away to lean against the railing once more, his blue eyes wandering over the dancing crowds below. Blue-tinged smoke circled over his head in a cloud, and Ayame coughed delicately.

"Do you _have_ to smoke those nasty things?" She demanded petulantly as she vigorously waved smoke away from her face.

She was acting the brat tonight, and Kouga had little patience with it. He ignored her.

But Ayame wouldn't allow herself to be ignored. Dropping the offended air that would get her nowhere with him, she turned sultrily sensual with the art of a superb actress. Shrugging off the expensive white mink so that it slid off her shoulders and pooled unheeded on the floor at her feet, she stepped forward. Pulling his nearest arm up, she slid under it to press her body along his lean length with deliberate invitation.

Her hands smoothed over the wide expanse of his chest, one coming up to coax his hard chin down for a kiss, the other moving below to stir response. "I've missed you." She breathed into his shirt as Kouga stared down at her. A pink tongue darted out to moisten parted lips, and her green eyes were lit with compelling desire.

For a moment, he paused, to the point where Ayame's green eyes started to darken with anger. Honest emotion, not subterfuge. He then claimed what she was so blatantly offering, and his lips came down in a hard kiss that left the youkai breathless, stirring passion within her until she could only cling to the dark-haired ookami's strength as hers faded...

Kouga leaned against the pillows heaped along the headboard in the wide circle that made up his bed. He was naked to the waist, where silk pooled around his hips in dark gold and warm beige tones. Ayame (witch)ed that he had no taste, and had tried once or twice to have his suite of rooms redecorated in more vibrant colors. But Kouga would have none of it. He liked earthy tones around him, preferring simple luxury to an extravagant riot of bad taste and splashy colors, which was more in vogue---or so Ayame had claimed.

She also claimed he lived more like a pathetic ningen pauper than a wealthy youkai Lord.

He couldn't have cared less.

Lounging back against the pillows, he picked up the remote and flicked the long wall-display to the current newsreels. The vid-screen faced the bed, which dominated the large room. Yet another archaic anachronism, or so Ayame whined. Technology had risen to a point where one didn't need a remote control to activate vid-screens or any of the other million and one scientific marvels that made interstellar life so easy for the lazy. But Kouga didn't like speaking to a computer like it was a person, just like he didn't like depending on a mechanized robot to do the things any able-bodied human could do.

Ayame made a disgusted noise as he turned the news on. She lay on top of the silken sheets, her perfect body on display for an uncaring audience. She twirled a red pigtail in one hand, bored. The giant sapphire winked invitingly between her naked breasts. She had refused to take it off, even in the heat of passion that had followed them from the bar to his private suite of rooms above Seven's throbbing nightlife. None of the noise crept up into the silent rooms, which were surrounded in thick sound-proofing perma-shield for just that reason.

Kouga stared at the newsreel intently, his bedmate forgotten. He watched stock pricing for commercial interests sliding, and his mind was taken up with the possible reasons that might have caused the trading securities to shift. It could mean nothing, or it could signal the covert, powerful mechanizations of some youkai lordling in the Game he loathed but which but his equals relished.

Ayame hated being ignored. "Kouga-koi..." She began, turning to glide one long-fingered hand across his taut belly.

Kouga jerked away with annoyance. "Not now." He growled, his blue eyes still locked on the flickering screen.

Green eyes sparked as her white hand whipped back as if scorched. "What do you mean, _not now?"_

Kouga let out an irritated sigh. Ayame's sharp tone let him know that he was in for one of her all-out tantrums. He had put up with them in the past for the gifted way in which Ayame made it up to him in the bedroom. But he was damn tired of her selfish, whining ways and the beautiful youkai was too self-absorbed to realize that her days...hours...minutes...in his bed were numbered.

Ayame slid off of the bed, so that she could look down on him in all of her green-eyed wrath. "Not now? Not _now?_ What do you think I am, some two-bit whore you can order about? I'm _Ayame!_ The granddaughter of---"

"I know who your grandfather is." Kouga said coldly, the blue eyes he turned on her hard. "Don't start that up again."

Ayame's green eyes glittered as brightly as the blue jewel dangling between her naked flesh. "Don't start? Don't _start?_ How _dare_ you!" Crimson seeped into her eyes as her hands balled into fists of rage. "You oafish jerk! Do you think you would be anything if it weren't for your _father_ being Lord of the Ookami Clan? You're a stupid barbarian who's deluded with ideas that dirty ningen slaves and true-blood youkai can live together like _equals!"_

He growled in warning, but the fiery red-head ignored it. "Just look at that revolting half-breed _dog_ you call friend! And his _mate---_a filthy ningen girl! I _saw_ you. You were drooling all _over_ her! How utterly _gross!"_

"Out."

Ayame paused, her eyes widening in shock. "What?"

_"Out."  
_

Kouga's icy blue eyes were filmed over in crimson anger, but he refused to give in to it. His own claws curled over the cracked remains of the remote he had broken in his fury at the youkai's bitter accusations, and Ayame realized---too late---her childish blunder.

Switching gears, she went from tempest to temptress. Green eyes dewy and body relaxing into soft allure, she asked softly, wonderingly, in artificial confusion. "Kouga-koi?"

Kouga's voice was cold, hard, unrelenting. _"Out."_

Ayame's mouth fell open in astonishment, but Kouga's blue eyes were like ice.

_"Now."_

Kagome was on a mission.

"Jennar...Jennar..." She flipped past the scrolled listings on the data-link, humming the repetition under her breath like a mantra.

"What the hell are you doing?" Her mate asked in irritation, looking up from his own flat-screen computer, where he was going over expense accounts.

"I'm looking for Sango." Kagome answered blithely, tapping her finger past multiple names. Inuyasha scowled, but went back to his figures.

"Got it!" Kagome sang out triumphantly, interrupting her mate's concentration once again.

"Damn it, Kagome..." InuYasha let out a growling sigh.

Kagome just giggled, abandoning her seat to come over and hug his irritation away. Planting a kiss on his silver head, she rubbed the ache from his shoulders, which was due to his being scrunched over the computer for too many hours.

"I found where Sango's bunked. I'm going to go call on her, see how she's doing. You wanna come along?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "This accounting crap is a pain in the (butt)."

"So?" Kagome coaxed, rubbing the tensed muscles of his neck.

"So I gotta do it." Inuyasha let out a gusty sigh. One clawed hand came up to lie over his wife's. He squeezed gently. "Not for much longer, though. And you be safe. I know I can't stop you. But _you,"_ He growled softly, pulled her to him for a quick kiss, "be safe."

"Of course." Kagome said blithely. "Aren't I always?"

Inuyasha just scowled.

The sweep of the bristles against the floor was almost lulling, and Sango could not quite keep the yawn at bay, so she took one hand off the handle of her broom in order to hide it, blinking more from boredom than from true sleepiness.

"Sango?"

Sango jumped, and turned around. The forgotten broom hit the floor with a _thwack,_ and she jumped again.

Kagome giggled, before smothering the thinner girl in a fierce hug. "It _is_ you!"

"K-Kagome?" Sango blinked in confusion as the black-haired girl stepped back and delighted brown eyes swept her from head to toe.

"It's so good to see you! I've been all over the Station looking for you, you know!" Kagome scolded her mildly, before her eyes lit up with an Idea. "Come on. I know a great little place we can go and get some Sakurian tea. We can catch up on all that's been happening to both of us!"

"Er..." Sango hung back as Kagome tugged on one hand. "I'm working. Cleaning." She tried to explain.

Kagome rolled her eyes. _"Ew._ I know! I'm gonna have to speak with Kouga. I can't believe they have you doing such menial work---"

Sango could only stare at the younger girl in confusion. She had forgotten how _alive_ Kagome was---how exuberantly vibrant, how strangely dizzying she was to Sango's peace of mind.

She'd never be bored around Kagome _that_ was for sure. Sango tentatively smiled, but still resisted Kagome's pull on her arm.

"I'm still on shift." She explained. "Maybe after six, when I'm off---"

"Six? Oh, heck no! I have plans to go to dinner with Inuyasha at Seven."

"Seven?"

Kagome giggled. "It's a nightclub, silly, not a time. Hey, wait a minute! You should come with us. I bet you haven't been out _anywhere_ yet, and I only have a few more days on Station before we head planet-side."

Kagome was going down to the planet? But of course, she wouldn't be staying on Yoro, with a whole wide world below opening up for colonization.

Sango felt a momentary pang of sorrow, but carefully hid it. Where in all the worlds was all this emotion suddenly coming from? Dr. Higurashi would be having paroxysms over the ineffectiveness of her psychological training...

"Come _on,_ Sango. We haven't talked in _ages._ And don't worry about that work nonsense. You are entitled to a break, and besides, I know your boss. He'll understand why you had to leave after I explain it all to him."

With that final bit of logic, Kagome abruptly turned and dragged the bewildered girl after her, leaving broom and bin abandoned behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

CHAPTER FOUR

The brown-haired man watched the two women from a distant table. He had ordered a cup of flavored tea, which cooled un-tasted on the table in front of him. The tea was more of an excuse than a desire for that rare blend of leaves that few planets could produce as well as Sakura in the fourth galaxy.

The two women were engrossed in conversation, taking little notice of their surroundings. Both were black-haired and fair of skin, but one was full of animation, the other quiet and concentrating. A faint smile hovered over the quiet one's lips, and the handsomely unassuming man took it as a cue that he would like to know more.

Standing up, he made his way around the various tables and stepped purposely up to the pretty pair, his blue eyes warm, his smile tentative.

"...and he's been investing in some merchant lines, from what little I understand, and hates it. Inuyasha will be so much happier when we go on to Kyouko."

Hojo cleared his throat and two pairs of brown eyes turned to stare at him in surprise.

"Pardon me, ladies." He coughed slightly. "I couldn't help but see that you were..._ahem_...alone. I hope I am not intruding, but please allow me to introduce myself."

"Hello." The animated girl smiled back at him with welcome, while the quiet one eyed him warily. "I'm Kagome, and this is Sango."

Hojo offered a graceful bow. "I am Hojo. Hojo Gentry. Again, I hope I am not intruding---"

"You are."

Hojo jerked up in surprise, his blue eyes meeting the narrowed amber ones of an irate hanyou.

"Inuyasha!" The girl Kagome jumped up and hugged the silver-haired hanyou with easy familiarity. "It can't be that late, could it?"

"It is." The hanyou snapped testily, his golden eyes steady on Hojo, who cleared his throat nervously.

"Inuyasha, this is Hojo Gentry. We just met him." Kagome said, blithely ignorant of the hard look her hanyou mate was giving the brown-haired man dressed in midnight blue.

Kagome's brown eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. "Hey. I have an idea. Sango is going to dinner with us, Inuyasha. Perhaps Mr. Gentry would like to join...?"

The other girl---Sango---looked startled at the invitation. Hojo hesitated, but Inuyasha decided the matter for him.

Bluntly.

"No, he would not."

Kagome blinked, and Sango looked suddenly relieved. Hojo coughed, trying to cover up the awkward moment of silence that filled the air between them.

"Um...yes...er...very well, then." He made a gallant bow under Inuyasha's hard gaze. "Maybe some other time." His dark blue eyes flicked to Sango with silent question. Inuyasha snorted, while his mate gave him a dark glare for his rudeness.

The girl Sango slid out of her seat, and without saying another word, the three of them turned and left the small cafe. Hojo stood there watching their departure, his dark blue eyes resting thoughtfully on the silent, black-haired girl.

4444444444444444

"You're such a jerk." Kagome's face was a thundercloud.

"Whatever." Inuyasha growled back.

Sango was a silent shadow behind them until Kagome recalled her presence, and stopped long enough to grab one pale hand in hers. "Come on, Sango-chan." She smiled brightly, even as she rolled her eyes at her mate. "Inuyasha's just a brat."

Sango paused, her eyes wary. "I don't want to intrude..."

"Nonsense! We still have _so_ much to catch up on." Kagome insisted. "I've been doing all the talking, and haven't given you a chance to say _anything."_

_Including some questions I have regarding your past!_ Kagome thought silently to herself. 'Seven' was hardly the place to share secrets, but maybe Sango's reticence would thaw a little after she had a few drinks in her.

Looping one arm in Sango's, Kagome kept the other around Inuyasha's waist. She would pretend to ignore his rude behavior---for now---but she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. Imagine, a nice guy coming up to them and introducing himself and Inuyasha had to go and act the Possessive Tyrant. Why, Hojo had been cute in a wistful way, and he had made eyeballs over Sango. He might just be what the girl needed---a nice, decent, ordinary guy to cut through the barriers the girl erected against the world for who knows _what_ reasons---though Kagome was more than determined to find out!

Too bad it didn't work out that way---at least, not in the way Kagome had _imagined_ it would.

Everything had been fine at first. Seven's dance floor was empty, and the music was muted and soothing. Pale, overhead lights were on so that early diners could eat in comfort. Sango had looked mildly perturbed when Kagome ordered some rather potent, fruity concoctions. But the other girl's first, tentative sip had turned into surprised delight. The fruity mixture hid the strong alcohol that lingered in the glass, and Kagome was certain Sango would open up even more as she drank.

Already, the girl's uneasiness had relaxed under the influence of fruit and friends. She had unbent enough to even smile faintly at one of Inuyasha's rather crude jokes, and to offer a couple comments and questions of her own in her soft, shy voice.

Kagome kept up a hazy monologue of nonsensical chatter even as she watched Inuyasha out of the corner of her eyes. She was amused to see his protective instincts kicking in, even for Sango. He was glaring away the speculative looks cast their way, and even growled when some man sent Sango a free drink.

Sango herself seemed oblivious to any attention, and Kagome was almost grateful as more and more people started coming in as the hour grew late. The lights began to dim, and their busty waitress came by to remove their plates and order more drinks. Tables were being pushed back to form a ring around the opening dance floor, and she could almost feel the tangible excitement in the air as the nightclub came to life.

Kagome asked Sango a pointed question, and was surprised when she received no answer. She stared at the girl, who seemed suddenly tense. The thin hands were fidgeting with her straw, while ignoring her drink. Inuyasha abruptly left, with a muttered "There's that stinking wolf." in explanation, and Kagome stared after his retreating back with a puzzled look. But she was more concerned over Sango, who was stirring uneasily, her brown eyes opaque in the dimming light.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, truly worried when the girl didn't respond, but merely sat stiffly erect in her seat. The two-tiered room went black as night, and Kagome couldn't even see Sango's blurred form in front of her. A loud vibration of sound filled the darkened nightclub, and the crowds cheered in response. An explosion of lights and sound erupted across the dance floor, spraying flashes of green and blue and fuchsia rays across jostling bodies. Throbbing noise echoed out into sonic dance, and the nightclub suddenly burst into life.

_What was that?  
_

Kagome's mouth fell open as she heard it again. A distinctive sound, one she would never expect from the girl across from her. Another hoarse sob, and in a dazzle of purple flashes, Kagome saw Sango's dark eyes widen into deep black pools in her pale, white face before the girl abruptly bolted from her seat.

"Sango!" Kagome called, jumping out of her chair to hurry after the crazy girl.

"Kagome!" Claws wrapped around her waist, and Kagome could not jerk them free. She stamped her foot in fury.

_"Inuyasha!_ There's something the matter with Sango---she just got up and ran, and I know she was crying. I don't know what's---"

There was a muffled cry, and Kagome squinted in the dazzling spray of lights as another tall form was revealed, his long hair inky in the green and white flickers, his light blue eyes slightly amused. Clawed hands were curved around Sango's upper arms, keeping her prisoner with almost careless ease.

"This her?" Kouga called out, fangs bared in a grin.

Kagome ran forward, dragging Inuyasha after her. In another burst of dazzling radiance, she saw Sango freeze, her faint whisper coming back to them as almost a hiss of pure terror.

_"Youkai..."  
_

"Not that shit again." Kagome heard Inuyasha mutter impatiently under his breath, and Kouga was turning his head down to frown at the woman caught in his grip, growling slightly in reaction.

Sango's eyes were wild, her lips bloodless. Kagome drew in a sharp breath as the girl tensed.

And then began to fight in deadly earnest.  
**  
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**

_Blood._

There was blood all around her, rising up to drown her in waves of fevered terror so potent she could barely break the surface to gasp breath before the bloody waves swamped over her mind to drown her sinking world anew…

_Kohaku!  
_

Dead, and dying. _Dead._

The grinning, laughing, screaming skulls pranced around her, jeering and taunting and relishing her pain. They danced on, heedless of the wrenching twist of betrayal that swelled bitter in her mouth, mixing with the metallic taste of her own blood, bitten through her lips as she screamed an unending litany of anguished terror and unremitting agony…

Never ending pain...

Never…

Ending...

_Youkai...  
_

Betrayal...blood...madness...must escape...must…_escape…_

She would never escape, and the dark demon whom she had been sent to kill and who had found her out and forced her poor, innocent brother to betray her, betray them all…into death, and not clean death, but agonized, bitter, terror-filled hours of pain and tortured torment…

The never-ending throb of music, each agonized breath thundering in her chest, each heart-beat shattering into anguished agony as the dissonant sounds washed away the whisper of her screams of sadistic torture into silence that no one could hear but her in her own frenzied, trapped mind….

_Trapped...  
_

No! Never again..._No!_

She fought with all that was in her, as blue eyes flashed from startled surprise to red anger, as inky shadows of hair whipped away as she clawed for his face. Hips moved aside instinctively as she kicked out for his groin, and he released a hissed breath as she jammed her foot into his knee. He shook her like a rag, until she saw stars, but even then she fought for freedom, for escape.

_Kohaku!  
_

Something brushed her temple, just above her right ear, and a sharp pain followed the disorientation. She could feel the embrace of soothing blackness rushing up to greet her, and she welcomed it as temporary escape from the bloody waves of madness that rushed up to drown her world in unimagined betrayal and unrelenting pain...

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"You _hit_ her!" Kagome's voice rose, shrill with accusation.

Kouga scowled down at the indignant, black-haired girl. Bad enough he still held the other girl limp in his arms. People were backing away from them, casting startled eyes and fearful glances their way even as others danced on, heedless of what had just occurred.

Kouga jerked his head at Hakkaku and Ginta, who were already making the rounds, soothing people with short explanations of a 'bar fight' already broken up. Kouga tossed the unconscious onna over his shoulder and marched grimly toward the back entrance, not caring who saw him or wondered why he stalked past with a girl slung over his shoulder. Inuyasha and his mate followed in his wake, leaving Hakkaku and Ginta to deal with the curious.

He slapped open the lock and the door slid open to reveal a private stairway up to his rooms above. He trudged up the steps, his mouth set in a hard line, his expression grim.

He muttered a curse when he had to slap the lock on his own door twice to get the panel to slide open. He stalked inside the expanded sitting room, and tumbled the unconscious girl down onto the nearest sopha.

Ignoring her for the moment, he stalked to the bar and pulled out a rare bottle of Glenfiddich. Snapping a glass to the counter, he poured himself a stiff drink and threw back the rare whiskey as if it were rotgut.

Kagome darted over to the unconscious girl's side and fell to her knees beside the sopha. She pushed back curling black tangles and desperately tried to feel for a pulse.

"She's fine." Kouga bit out, pouring a second drink and knocking it back just as quickly as the first.

"Are you?" Inuyasha eyed him with rare respect as Kouga poured a third glass.

"Yes. No. Damn it." Kouga growled, crimson washing over his blue eyes for a moment before receding. "I've never had to hit a woman before. Damn it."

"She got you pretty good there." Inuyasha smirked, helping himself to the Glenfiddich.

Kouga touched his smarting cheek with disgust. Four jagged lines marred his skin, and a dot of blood trickled down his chin. He wiped it impatiently away with the cuff of his black leather jacket, not really giving a shit if he ruined the expensive coat.

"Who is that damn hell-cat anyway?" He demanded testily, turning to look at the girl sprawled across his sopha, Kagome beside her on the floor.

He limped over---the girl had given him a good kick in the knee, and it was now smarting as much as the scratches on his cheek. Idly licking his fingers, he smeared the healing properties of his saliva across the wounds. Already, his youkai body was recovering, and the throb of pain in his leg and thigh were receding.

"She's not a hell-cat!" Kagome shot him a glare full of wrath-filled indignation. "Did you have to knock her out cold?"

"Yes." Kouga snapped back, angry with her, with himself, with the whole damn mess. "What the hell got into her?"

"Told ya she's a wacko." Inuyasha said, swilling the golden whiskey in his glass before taking a measured sip.

Kagome bristled at her mate. "Sango is _not _a wacko!"

"Then what the hell was that all about?" Inuyasha demanded with a growl.

Kagome scowled back, even as her hands gently smoothed the girl's dark hair away from her temple. "I don't know." She bit out, her brown eyes turning troubled. "She's going to have a bruise. And a killer head-ache."

"Damn." Kouga cursed softly, his blue eyes narrowed on the unconscious girl collapsed across his buff-colored sopha. She wasn't much to look at---a pale, thin, little thing. Black hair tumbled in tangles across her shoulders and cheek, and her slight frame was swathed in an ugly green coverall from chin to ankle.

He couldn't connect this defenseless-seeming twig of a girl with the wild-eyed hell-cat who had fought him with such strength and ability. She had had some dirty moves he hadn't seen outside the back streets of the poor quarters, and if she hadn't been so crazed with fury, she might have been able to actually do him some real damage.

The name finally clicked, and his blue eyes narrowed. "This is the girl you befriended on the _Eminence._ The one who went through Alteration."

"Yes." Kagome said, somewhat reluctantly.

"No wonder she went through Alteration." Inuyasha growled out, coming to join Kouga in his study of the unconscious woman. "She's crazy as a loon."

"No, she's not!" Kagome jumped up, arms on her hips. "She's been hurt, and hurt deeply, but she's not crazy!"

"How the hell do you know that?" Inuyasha scoffed at his mate.

"I _know."_ Kagome said mulishly. "Sango's a sweet girl---"

"Sweet, huh?" Inuyasha cast a significant glance at Kouga, who remained silently impassive.

"Inuyasha, you can be such a---" Kagome's words were abruptly cut off as her attention was caught by faint movement from the sopha.

"Sango?" Kagome sank to her knees, one hand coming to touch the girl's forehead. Dark lashes fluttered underneath the scarlet tattoo that looked like a line of seeping blood against the stark contrast of her pallid, white skin. Kouga watched as brown eyes blinked open, and then squinted against the light. A hiss of a moan passed through the white lips, and he abruptly turned away to get a glass of water.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome asked softly.

Kouga leaned over the back of the sopha to offer Kagome the water in silence. Brown eyes focused on him, and widened in fear. The girl shrank back against the cushions, her body trembling. Blue eyes misted with crimson, and he bit out, "Stop looking at me like that. I'm not a damn monster, I'm a _youkai._ Damn it."

"Sango-chan! This is Kouga. He's a friend. A friend!" Kagome said urgently as Inuyasha scowled.

"Come on, Kouga. That girl doesn't like youkai-kind." His look was bitter, disappointed almost. He had started feeling some ease toward the strange girl, but if she proved to be a prejudiced twit, he hated to see the disappointment and hurt his wife would experience.

"Kagome-chan?" The girl breathed, her brown eyes focusing on the girl in front of her.

"I'm here, Sango. Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right. It's okay."

"I'm...sorry..." The girl said, closing her eyes as a tear slipped out.

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"There was an unprovoked attack." The voice was low, muted---as muted as the dark clothing the man wore, which helped him blend into the shadows of the deserted store-room.

"It was not by our command." The other voice at the end of the comm-unit was sharp.

"I wondered. It seemed...untimely. Rushed." The man in the shadows almost made that a question.

"All will happen in the precise time." The voice answered. "As long as the tool is still ours to use."

"There should be no problem."

"Yes. There should _be_ no problem." The emphasis on the fourth word was not lost on the stealthy shadow. He remained silent, indifferent.

"You should strive for contact." The voice commanded.

"Yes." He agreed ironically.

"Again, there should _be_ no problems. Of any kind. Failure is not an option. Is that understood, 3-G?"

"Yes. I understand. Failure is _not_ an option." The man said, tonelessly, his voice as cold as the shadows in which he hid.

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"What happened, Sango-chan? Why did you..." Kagome's voice fell off, as if hesitant to say more.

Sango wanted to close her eyes, to hide from the hurt question in Kagome's words, but the terror waited for her…waited to rise up and engulf her once more in unremitting darkness. She wished, suddenly, fiercely, for the tranquilizing, untouched and untouchable division of Alteration.

But the bonds of her psychological re-programming had been broken, and she could not regain it. And even as she yearned for that emotionless denial, she loathed the weakness of her spirit that would seek it. She had hidden behind a mask of denial long enough. Scraps of her memory, which had been buried and repressed, were returning, and she welcomed their sense of identity, even as she flinched from the raw, aching pain of them.

"I..." She began, but her voice cracked.

_Kohaku. Oh, Kohaku. I am so sorry my weakness betrayed you!  
_

How could she have forgotten him? How could she have denied the memory of his existence, which brought both the sweet tang of happiness, and the bitterest sense of remorse?

"Here." The command was blunt. Amber eyes and silver hair---Inuyasha.

A glass was pressed against her dry lips, and Sango nearly choked as fire ran down her throat. Not water this time, but raw spirits.

She blinked back a sudden film of tears at the sharp potency of it, but it dulled into comfortable warmth as it pooled in her belly. Her head swam, and she knew---somehow and from whence that shard of memory came she knew not---that alcohol was not good for a head-wound or possible concussion.

"No...more..." She waved a second glass away, and sat up gingerly, her head throbbing. She touched the bruise on her right temple with tender fingers. "Eh..."

"Sango-chan..." Kagome cautioned, pulling her hand away.

"You...deserve...an explanation." Sango said, her throat catching. Never had she spoken of it aloud, though she thought that some of the psy-medics, like Dr. Higurashi, who had overseen her Identity Alteration, might have guessed at some of it. She herself did not know the whole story, and she felt the tattered remnants of her memory were poor things indeed.

Like she knew she had had a father…a strong, imposingly stern man. And a brother...Kohaku...a sweet, vital little boy who was made to be a man too young. Why this was so, she did not know, but she knew that it was. Demands had been made, of shoulders too young to bear the burden, and sacrifice and betrayal and pain and torture had been the result...

Abandoned, and betrayed.

_Left to die.  
_

Her expression turned fierce, her brown eyes darkening with emotion. Kagome sat back on her heels, surprised at the pain hidden in those dark depths. This..._this_ was more the Sango in the data-link photograph than the half-wisp of shadow whom she had befriended and come to know.

Sango's eyes flicked from the silver-haired hanyou who stood cross-armed beside her sopha to the black-haired youkai who leaned against the wall, his blue eyes icy-hard. He was nothing like her dark tormentor---except for the color of his hair and eyes, though his were more blue than colorless, as the dark lord's had been. His skin was planet-side tanned, and there was no cruel lines bracketing the hard set of his mouth. He was handsome, as all youkai were, but in a raw, vital, earthy sense...not at all like the dark youkai who haunted her nightmares.

"I...apologize." She met those ice-blue eyes, and dropped hers from the intensity of his.

"Sango?" One of Kagome's hands curled around hers, and Sango squeezed back in appreciation of the girl's unquestioning comfort. Kagome could not realize what she had come to mean to Sango, how she had been a guide to bring her out of the forced denial of Alteration and take back some small piece of herself, Sango, as she truly was.

She owed them all somewhat of an explanation, and she battled with a sense of warning that she must never tell, must never admit, must never reveal. She fought it, and started in a hoarse whisper that became a litany of painful remembrance.

"I was Altered. On Station Nine. Not for any crime or punishment, but for my own sanity. Or so they told me, explained to me. I was..." She paused, digging and searching, to find only empty, frustratingly empty space. There were holes in her memories, holes that might be filled or explained in time, but were not there now for her calling.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know why, or how, or when. But I was taken, betrayed. My brother..." She stopped again, a hitch in her voice. There was silence around her, and she was grateful for that.

"I had a brother. Kohaku. He was my life. My family. My heart. He was too young to go, too young to...I don't know. I can't remember!" Bowing her head, she battled sharp resentment before gathering the strength to continue.

"He was twisted, turned. Used. _He_ used him. _He_ used my poor, innocent little brother to betray us all." A tear seeped unnoticed from the turbulent brown eyes, and Kagome squeezed her hand in compassion that hurt almost as much as Kohaku's broken memory. "He---Kohaku---killed...he tried to kill..." The arch in her spine flinched, as if she could feel the echo of Kohaku's weapon once again in her back, where the deep, ugly scar remained to tell forever the story she had forgotten.

"He tried to kill you?" Inuyasha asked, for once, almost gentle.

"Yes." Sango closed her eyes on the pain of that knowledge. "He was ordered...mind-controlled. He killed our father, and those others I cannot remember. _He_ made him do it, made my poor, innocent little brother into a perverted murderer, and then _he_ killed him...but not swiftly. No, _he_ kept him alive, tortured him and used him in every way _his_ sick mind could conceive, before death took him by slow inches..."

_And I was too weak to stop it!  
_

There was a long silence, before Kagome's breath hitched in sympathetic horror. Crimson filmed both hanyou and youkai eyes, and it was Kouga who demanded harshly, "Who was _he?"_

Sango kept her head bowed, her voice a whisper. _"Naraku."_

She felt the bitter taste of his name on her tongue, knew again the angry revulsion and dark hate that filled her. The demon, black of hair and beautiful to behold, the cruel lines deepening around his sensuous mouth, the taunting mockery of his laughter at her pitiful attempts for freedom or death for her and her brother---or the dead-eyed _thing_ that had become her brother. The pale blue eyes, almost colorless, crimsoning into red delight when he beheld pain, deriving sadistic pleasure from another's torment.

Hanyou and youkai froze. Kouga's words were flat, final. "Naraku is dead."

Sango's head whipped up, and her brown eyes startled into cinnamon. "Dead?" She whispered in soft pain.

"Dead." Inuyasha answered just as flatly.

Something moved in the girl's eyes, something dark and vengeful.

"Good." She almost smiled…a cold, chillingly predacious smile.

Kagome shivered, and squeezed her hand again, seeking comforting reassurance now for herself. "You escaped, then, Sango? And Station Nine put you through psychological repression to save your sanity?"

"So they explained. I can't remember...all..." Sango sank wearily back against the sopha's arm, suddenly drained and feeling somehow transparent. _Emotional overload._, her mind supplied, and she wanted to laugh like a crazy person over the thought.

Perhaps the psy-medics on Station Nine had been right.

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The lights were dim, casting veiled shadows across his sitting room. Inuyasha had finally dragged a protesting Kagome off to their own quarters, and the black-haired girl, Sango, now slept. She had been too exhausted to move, and Kouga had refused when the girl had tried to insist wearily that she was fine. Exhaustion had finally won the argument, and her eyes had closed as she lay hugged in Kagome's arms.

Sleep eluded Kouga though, and he had wandered aimlessly around the other rooms of his apartment. The girl's words had sparked memories that still left him edgy and restless, even after all this time.

_Naraku.  
_

The hatred for the youkai's very name could still fill him with the bitter taste of deeply-seated anger, and he could not expel it. He needed a drink, a stiff drink, and if he moved with ookami-silence and speed, he would not wake the girl. Few youkai could track an ookami bent on stealth, never mind a mere human.

He ignored her presence, striding swiftly over to the well-stocked cabinet behind his bar. With hardly a whisper or betrayal of sound, he pushed the door back and filched an upturned glass from the tray. He pulled a bottle free at random, not too choosy over his toxin, and abruptly stood up, his ears twitching.

Another rustle, the merest murmur, of fabric, and his head turned sharply to the left, where the girl laid, a muffled shadow against the blurred outline of his sopha. Her eyes were dark pools in the shadowed white pallor of her face, but he relaxed---deliberately.

"Sorry to wake you." He muttered an apology, not taking any care now that she was awake to dampen his noise. The bottle clinked against the rim of his glass, and liquid splashed into the waiting vessel.

She made a faint movement, one he read as dismissive negation. Arching a black brow in her direction, Kouga swiped another glass from the tray, and poured a second drink for her. "Can't sleep?" He asked mildly, to fill the tense silence between them.

A second slight shake of her head.

"Kagome?" Her voice was soft, tentative.

"Inuyasha took her off to bed---against her protest, I might add." Amusement laced his deep voice.

Setting the opened bottle aside, he took up the twin glasses, and brought one over to her.

"This should help." He said, offering her one. She struggled a moment to free one of her hands from the blankets that swathed her slight form from shoulder to foot, and her fingers brushed his with the faintest touch as she accepted his offer. His ookami-enhanced night-vision was coming into focus, and he studied the pale oval of her face as she bent her head.

"Thank you." She said simply, not drinking. There were dark circles under the thick lashes of her eyes, Kouga noted, and her black hair was tangled around her thinned features. She might have been beautiful, perhaps, if she didn't look so worn out.

Taking a deep taste of the dark brandy in his own glass, Kouga casually settled one hip against the back of the sopha. He continued to study her in silence.

"Tell me...how it happened. Naraku." She asked, her voice whisper-soft but fervent in question.

Kouga growled faintly, but stopped when he saw how she tensed up again. Damn, but she was coiled tighter than a spring, her strained nerves frayed to the edge but held together by pure steel.

He could admire that, and decided he could allow her to know his motivation for seeking the dark lord's death with his own two hands.

"I killed him. With Inuyasha's help. But it was _I_ who choked the life of him with my bare hands." His claws curled around his glass, the points sharp as his eyes bled faintly with crimson recall.

She did not flinch back as he had half-expected. Instead, she asked softly, "Why?"

The night was no place for secrets, but he made short answer, not wanting to dwell on his reasons. Honor had been fulfilled, and the blood of his brothers had been cleansed with the death of the traitorous oni.

"He killed men of my Clan." Kouga's words were almost negligent, but he wondered how deeply the girl understood. Ties of blood among the ookami Clan were some of the strongest. "I merely repaid him in kind."

He was surprised that he had revealed even that much, and stared down at her, his blue eyes thoughtful.

"Thank you." She said again, her head bowed. There was a wealth of dark emotion in that simple phrase, and Kouga's hand shot out to grasp hold of her chin and pull her face up. Her breath hissed in with surprise, but she did not flee his penetrating gaze. Her shadowed eyes stared up into his, and his voice was harsh with sudden revelation.

"He used you as well." He said, blue eyes piercing her. "As he did your brother."

She froze, and then jerked her chin away from his claws. "That does not matter." She said harshly, looking away from that penetratingly blue gaze, and taking a deep drink from her untouched brandy. Her fingers tightened on the cup as the warmth sprang through her trembling body. He could smell the fear on her...the fear and the anger, and something more subtle he refused to name, but which drew him nonetheless.

_Protective alpha-male stirrings, nothing more._ He was only feeling sorry for her.

A dangerous prospect.

"Perhaps you are right. It doesn't matter. He's dead now." He abruptly went and splashed more brandy into his empty glass, and threw it back with one swallow. He had wasted more fine liquor this evening than he could ever remember, and truly didn't give a good damn.

"Dead." She mulled over the word, drinking the rest of her glass as her eyes blinked wearily under the strong influence of raw alcohol. He turned to stare at her, and noticed that her dark eyes were already closing. Her hold on her glass was slipping as her fingers went soft, and he was back at her side in a single breath to pull it away from eminent descent. She gave him a sleepy half-smile, a mere curving of her lips under the influence of the brandy, even as she snuggled back into the covers. Her lashes curled against her pale cheek, and her bangs feathered across her skin in whorling disarray. Her words were slurred as she fell back into the embrace of sleep. "Thank you..."

He stared at her for a long, silent moment before turning away and leaving the room.

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_A/N: Thank you for all of the supportive reviews! It spurred me on to write more of Solace, ignoring poor Vengeance in favor of seeing how this little scenario plays out between Sango and Kouga. I want to give special thanks to Elisa, Faira (of course!), Silent Roamer and Megan Consoer---your persistence has paid off, and I thank you deeply for your continued support of all my fics. Charging Handles Forward, youmade my day with your review, and kept me at the keyboard for a straight twelve hours! XD EatAPeach, thank you very much! UrOne Rose, there is a hintof romace in this chappie, hope it helps! Raven-999, howsweet! Thank you! ShikuKihaku, evilPINK monkeys! ACK! Hope this update holds them off for a small while…_

_More to come, and soon! _

_Fate_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

**THE SOURCE OF SOLACE**_  
_

_A/N: Deepest thanks go to Tausha, who listened while I rattled off bad sentences, and helped me sort them out. Further thanks to Fairia, who keeps encouraging me to update, update, update. XP_

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_Creak.  
_

"Sango?" The voice was soft, tentative.

The scream that followed was anything but.

"Kagome?" Sango blinked sleepy eyes in confusion as two blurred shadows fought one another by the half-opened door.

"Damn it, woman!" Kouga held the wildcat away from him with one strong arm. Upon hearing his growl, Kagome quit dancing around like a martinet and relaxed.

"Oh! It's you, Kouga!" She gave him a bright smile, even though he had her shirt collar fisted in one hand, drawing the hem up enough to give a glimpse of white skin and flat belly.

"If you know what's good for you, wolf, you'll get your claws off my mate." Fangs flashed true menace as the silver-haired hanyou slammed open the door with enough force to send it bouncing back along its track.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's smile grew even brighter. She had thought she had left him sleeping soundly as she hurried to get dressed. Walking over to Kouga's apartment early, she wanted to see how Sango had fared the night. She hadn't counted on Kouga coming to investigate her stealthy entrance and grab her up like a carry-sack. She knew Inuyasha would be hopping mad with her, but boy was she glad to see him!

Amusement glinted in the ookami's blue eyes and he took a long moment to consider the hanyou's threat. As the amber eyes darkened ominously, Kouga gracefully allowed the young onna to go, and even helped her straighten the un-tucked hem of her shirt. That didn't sit well with Inuyasha's over-protective ire, and Kouga found himself confronted by a cross-armed hanyou, Kagome shoved safely behind and out of the way.

Kagome leaned to one side and mouthed a sorry to Kouga before turning her attention to Sango. Leaving the two males to battle it out over which one was more domineering and full of testosterone, she edged her way to Sango's side and sat on the arm of the sopha's impromptu bed at Sango's feet.

"How are you doing?" Kagome asked sweetly.

Sango's eyes slid significantly from Kagome to where the two males stood bristling at each other, posturing like wild dogs. Kagome dismissed them with an airy wave of her hand. "Don't worry about them. They'll work it out. Besides, Kouga can't be too mad---I brought breakfast."

Kagome held up a bag of steaming meat-rolls and flaky croissants with secret triumph. She had thought of _everything!_

Sango could only blink.

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"You are not going to work as a trash-collector anymore." Kagome pronounced.

Sango smiled faintly. "Sanitation engineer."

Kagome blinked. "What?"

"Sanitation engineer." Sango replied, her brown eyes serious. "That was---_is_---my job title."

"Huh?" Kagome shook her head. "Whatever they call it, it's still icky."

"Icky?" It was Sango's turn to blink, which gave Kagome a fit of the giggles.

"Icky." Inuyasha made a sound of disgust, already munching his way through his third meat-roll. He rolled his eyes at Kouga, who shook his head but was too busy downing a second cup of stim to add comment. The pair of them had made quite a few inroads on Kagome's edible offering, though there was still a few croissants left for Kagome to pick up two and hand one over to Sango while she fought down an acute stab of embarrassment.

Sango accepted the croissant with an absent-mindednod of thanks, and ate it almost mechanically. Food was fuel, and there was an empty spot in her belly that she hadn't realized was there until she had taken her first bite.

Kagome was not easily distracted, and she returned to her original topic with typical dogged interest. "You need to quit."

Sango choked. "Quit?"

She hadn't really thought about the future, now that she had regained some semblance of her past. It all seemed so unreal, as if the simple responsibilities and daily routine that had defined her existence on Yoro had happened to someone else, not her. But she really needed to focus on her priorities. She needed money to live, which meant work to do to earn that money. And she wasn't really bothered over the "icky-ness" of her job. She didn't relish it, and couldn't see herself a year from now still picking up garbage and sweeping floors, but what else was there?

It wasn't as if she had any particular skills or training. It's not like she had a certificate or degree. She had never had the time to study anything normal like that---though how she knew this she couldn't even begin to guess.

"You are going to come with me and Inuyasha to Kyouko. As our guest. I insist." Kagome explained benignly. Sango started shaking her head, but Kagome went on, unheeding. "You can't stay _here,_ on station. You don't know anybody. Besides, who wants to keep picking up trash when there's a whole wide world waiting down there?"

Sango considered. "I've never been to a planet's surface before." How she knew that was as mysterious as how she knew she had always been too busy for study.

The three of them stared at her in surprise.

"Never?" Kagome asked in dawning horror.

Sango merely shrugged, though she was startled by their reaction. What was so glorious about a planet, anyway? Wide open, dusty atmosphere…direct solar exposure without benefit of thick, protective bubbles of plaz-shield…bacterial-laden air that had not been disinfected, cleansed and recycled…a thousand and one living organisms to be wary of lest they prove dangerous to human-kind...what was so great about _that?  
_

Kagome abruptly stood up, abandoning her half-eaten croissant, and crossed her arms over her chest. Brown eyes glared from youkai to hanyou as she pronounced, "Sango is quitting her job. _Right now._ And she is getting a new one. With me. With _us,_ I mean." She directed a particularly significant glare at her mate.

Sango blinked in confusion and protested. "But..."

Now _she_ was on the receiving end of Kagome's glare. "No buts!"

And that was that.

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Before Sango knew what she was doing, Kagome had her hauled off and strapped into the cramped back seat of a renovated freight hauler. A siren blared out in augur as the ship disengaged from its station-side berth, and yellow lights flashed constant warning as the ship slowly backed away from the dock.

Sango's knuckles whitened over the sides of her anchored chair as the metal floor shuddered beneath her feet. The turbines fired once the hauler had drifted free of Yoro's outer bays. The ship groaned with rusty complaints, and Inuyasha growled in dissonant harmony.

"Tell me again why we had to use _this_ damn wreck." He directed at his wife as the forward thrusters fired and the ship lurched in reply.

Kagome just tossed her head. "This was the earliest ship Kouga could gain passage for us."

"We could have waited, damn it. He'll be coming down in a couple of days." Inuyasha continued to scowl as the monitor blipped and the pilot's fingers skimmed over the archaic drive-board.

"No we couldn't." Kagome replied serenely, her eyes darting to Sango.

Sango ignored Inuyasha's grumbling response as she closed her eyes.

Her stomach lurched in time with the ship, and she could feel her scant breakfast trying to decide if it wanted to stay in there. The ship trembled as it hit the planet's atmospheric envelope, and something fell down in back of her, hitting the metal floor with a resounding _clang._ Sango jumped in reaction, but the webbed restraints on her chair kept her firmly seated.

The next ten minutes were spent in a blur of nausea and tight-lipped nerves as the ship's vibrations rattled and heaved their way through Kyouko's atmosphere. The ship wrenched sharply forward as its rear thrusters were engaged, and Sango was actually relieved when they touched down with a hard thump that threw her once again into the chair restraints with a jerk. The ship wheezed and slowly coughed to a stop as the pilot disengaged the engines. Spent fuel and petrolysine burn-off wafted through the air, and Inuyasha heaved a huge exhalation of relief.

"You, wench, are _never_ going to book us flight passage again!" His snapping growl was actually welcoming to Sango's ears, and she even managed a faint smile.

It disappeared as the pilot thumbed open the hatch, which lifted with a _whoosh_ of compressed air. Immediately, the web restraints of her seat disengaged and Sango took a last, deep breath of clean, recycled oxygen even as it escaped past her into the great unknown beyond.

Who knew what lay out there.

Terrible stories of planetary horrors whispered across her memory, hissed half-truths and chilling murmurs in the dark among people whose faces or existence she could not recall. She could already feel the heavier gravity of the planet taking hold of her body, pulling her _down,_ and her fingers were white-knuckled on the armrests of her chair.

Having no such cares or concerns, Kagome had already slipped out of her bolted seat and jumped out of the cabin with a happy grin on her face, taking deep, gulping breaths as if she would clean the chemically-treated oxygen of the ship from her lungs. Inuyasha was after his impetuous mate with a muttered grumble about females.

"It's so beautiful, Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rose joyfully as she grabbed her mate around the waist and hugged him. Sango's eyes flicked back to the pilot, who was swiveling his chair around to look at her with a frown.

"You can get up now, miss." He said.

Kagome's black head ducked back into the hatch. "Come on, Sango! The whole world awaits!"

_That_ was what she was afraid of. Who knew what awaited her out there, in that strange environment without benefit of sanitation and chemicals, without the help of advanced technology or even the most basically standard safeguards to keep the wild unknown at bay…

Gritting her teeth (and holding onto her last breath of truly-clean air), Sango staggered to her feet. The sudden addition of the planet's gravity had her stumbling gracelessly with the awkward unfamiliarity of it. Raised in the more gentle gravs of station and ship, Sango had to fight for balance. It was an indescribable feeling, almost like she was walking with magnetic boots on a zero-g deck. Cautiously picking up her left foot, she placed it down too hard, and almost fell over.

Flailing her arms like a drunk, Sango managed to half-step, half-fall toward the hatch. Grasping the rubber-sealed edge to catch her balance, she let out her held breath in an explosion of surprise. Before she could stop herself, her body betrayed her and took a deep breath of air---untreated and unhygienic air.

For a minute her head swam as the potently rich oxygen suffused her being. Kyouko's atmosphere was headier than the standard kept onboard ship. Sango's eyes widened and she felt almost giddy and light-headed as she took in deeper breaths. It was so rich and full of something that she could not name…smells and tastes and a variety of sensations that she had never, ever, experienced before.

It was…exhilarating!

"Sango?" Kagome peered at her with concern in her wide brown eyes, and white claws wrapped around Sango's shoulder as Inuyasha lent his stronger arm for assistance.

"Sango, are you okay?" Kagome grabbed her free hand, worried.

"Steady now." Inuyasha said, his voice gruff. "Take slow, deep breaths. Got it?"

Sango did not reply, and Kagome scanned her face anxiously, trying to see what the matter was. But Sango was not even looking at them, her attention was fixed on the vista that lay spread out before her in a wondrous multitude of colors and patterns she had never expected or considered.

Soft lips were parted in a half-gasp as her eyes drunk in the scene before her, and her senses were overwhelmed with a million and one impressions she could not even begin to analyze. They flicked by her awareness and suffused her being as if welcoming her…_home_.

The colors were so vibrantly alive, as if the very world was an entity in itself. Small green and brown blobs dotted out from the grassy verge to become the darker green of a shadowy growth that stood taller beyond them. Green mounds rose still higher beyond, their colors turning every shade of golden yellow to deepest emerald, until even they were dwarfed by the distant mounds that rose in jagged lines to blur into soft blues and deep purples, their peaks covered in sharp white lines or wispy mists of ethereal cloud-cover.

And above all was the unending sky that curved like a giant dome from one horizon to the other, the blue so resplendent it hurt her eyes to look too deep upon it. The sky was dotted with fluffy puffs of white that hazed in the distance until they covered the far mountains in misty outlines of obscurity. The sun, blinding in its brilliancy, made her eyes water, but she could not look away.

The world whispered to its self as if it were a living thing and the taller green growth in the distance swayed as if it danced to its own music. The closer, smaller bushes fluttered, and the green growth that covered the oval-shaped, flat field where they had landed stirred like so many tiny hairs, each dancing in its own way. Sango felt small tugs on the locks of her hair, and her bangs ruffled as if they, too, would dance, and the strangest sensation whispered across her pale skin with the faintest tickling touch. She struggled to put name to it, and almost giggled when she realized what it was.

_Wind!_

The playful breeze danced around her, sifting her bangs into wild whorls of disarray and even feathering the long tail of ebony that hung down her back, tickling her with the tiny hairs on the back of her neck and loosening the tight confines in which she kept it bound.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome asked again, confused concern.

"She's crazy." Inuyasha muttered low under his breath, but Sango could not hear their words. She was too busy drinking in the sights and sounds and strange new impressions of this stunningly new reality.

It was so _alive,_ and she could feel her blood stirring as it had not ever in living memory. She wanted to shout, she wanted to dance, she wanted to sing, to run and move and then to just lay still and soak in her surroundings like a man dying of thirst. She wanted to _experience_, and for the first time ever in her life she felt suddenly _free,_ and the joy of it all bubbled out of her in a laugh of such recognized homecoming that the tears ran down her cheeks unnoticed as the pure, heartfelt beauty of it all overwhelmed her small being in a vast space of pure _life._

Inuyasha's claws tightened on her shoulder, convinced the poor girl had finally, truly lost her mind. Kagome tugged on her fingers, afraid, but Sango turned to look down at her dearest friend with such a look of such utter joy and simple happiness that Kagome's heart tightened in empathic delight, the tears sprinkling her own brown eyes, not understanding what the strange soul-lost girl was feeling, but thinking that whatever it was that made Sango so free was just exactly what Sango needed.

Fingers tightened in silent support, and Sango whispered softly, her voice hoarse with the pent-up emotions of long denial, and said simply, "Thank you."

_For everything…_

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Inuyasha stared at the two women as if they had both lost their minds. And they had. Kagome was running around as crazy as her black-haired friend, telling her the names of things that Sango had known only in theory, not fact. Beyond impatient with such nonsense, the hanyou turned away in disgust. Who cared what type of tree the birch was, it was just a stupid tree.

Nothing to get so damn worked up over.

And while those two loons were running around like little kids on their first outing, he had work to do. _Somebody_ had to be rational enough to arrange their few articles of luggage to be taken to the home he had purchased sight unseen. Kouga had driven a hard bargain for it, saying it was one of his favorite hunting cabins.

Inuyasha just bet that damn wolf had stuck him with some damn pit, happy to be rid of it and unable to resist the temptation of getting back at _him_ for a few pranks he had pulled on the stupid wolf back in the day. He knew he wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation…

_Damn wolves._

But better some old, broken-down relic that he might be able to fix than being saddled with one of the more primitive dwellings that ookami favored. He could just picture Kagome's horrified expression if the home he had dragged her across the known galaxy for was nothing more than a dry cave with moldy straw strewn across the floor to serve as a bed…

His ears twitched, and Inuyasha jerked his head around. A faint whiff of distinctive scent and the creak of wheels accompanied by the nervous whicker of a horse-drawn cart caught his attention. The cart was to haul their supplies across the valley and over the low hills in the west where Kouga had told him his new purchase lay nestled at the base, just inside the thick forest's edge.

Inuyasha made a face at the primitive contrivance. Damn, one would think Kouga would have more imagination than _that._ It was hardly anywhere near the luxury the ookami brat usually surrounded himself with. But then again, that stupid lordling had some strange damn notions in his fool head.

Though Inuyasha couldn't fault him. Kyouko was a beautiful planet, and he agreed with his old friend that it would be a waste to despoil it, like so many other worlds had been. Kouga had strict rules regarding this particular part of the world he claimed for his Clan, and it was only by virtue of their friendship that Inuyasha had been allowed to come here at all, let alone to purchase his new home.

Still…_damn._

The horses, sturdy ponies with thistle manes and bottle-brush tails, started nervously at the strange scents as they neared the landing site. Another facilitating gesture on Kouga's part that Inuyasha owed to their old friendship. Ships were rarely allowed to land in this part of Kyouko at all. Most supplies were shuttled down to the small, southern continent that was little more than an over-big island that lay on the other side of the globe. The eager colonists who flocked to Yoro rarely realized that that big island was all they would ever see of Kyouko. The rest of the planet was off-limits, by wolfly decree.

_Damn right_. Inuyasha thought to himself. He whole-heartedly agreed with Kouga's plans to keep most of Kyouko away from the degradations of aggressive expansion and over-settlement. It was the Ookami Clan's homeworld after all. Those damn humans were lucky Kouga was allowing them entrance at all to the formerly interdicted planet.

It was a perfect beginning for him and Kagome.

He looked for his mate, and his expression softened for a moment as he watched the pair of young women catch sight of the bristly ponies and the gray-haired ookami who drove them. The girls seemed entranced, and Inuyasha was about to growl at the timidly smiling driver until he recognized who it was.

Now how in all the hells had _Ginta_ managed to get here before them, and the only passage Kouga could get for Kagome was that old rust-bucket they had just been forced to endure in teeth-rattling---

Realization dawned and Inuyasha glowered, even as the pilot called out for help off-loading supplies that would only have to be re-loaded onto Ginta's too-handy cart.

Damn Kouga and his damn pranks. Damn him for his damn paybacks.

He was going to _kill _that mangy son of a wolf.

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"Can I take my shoes off?" Sango asked shyly.

Kagome giggled. "Of course, silly. The grass won't _kill_ you."

Sango, of all the strange things in the universe, returned her giggle. "You never know, and _I_ certainly don't!" She said with a grin as she stooped to take off the soft, rubber-soled deck shoes that were standard issue among personnel on station.

_I need to get her some real shoes._ Kagome thought idly as she watched Sango wiggle her bare toes into the soft grass. It kept surprising her how, just, well, _different,_ Sango was acting. It was as if another person had taken hold of the quiet young woman's soul and drawn it anew.

_Well, duh!_ Wasn't that exactly what had happened? Kagome had to keep reminding herself that the Altered individual she had first met onboard the _Eminence_ was nothing like the girl who now stood burying her toes in the grass and sighing like it was the softest velvet.

But then, again, this strange girl with her childlike wonder of the strange new world around her was hardly like the quietly, self-contained person who held such deep, abiding pain in her heart. Why, it was only yesterday that Sango had even begun to remember some bit of her past, and had tentatively started to open up, like some cautious little flower in the dawn's light of revelation.

Sango, Kagome decided, was _exactly_ like a flower. The poor thing needed nurturing care, and perhaps, over time, she might be healed enough to open herself up even more, one delicately fine petal at a time, until she blossomed into the young woman Kagome just knew lay hidden and bruised deep inside…

Trust it to Inuyasha to stomp on that flower, and make the petals snap tightly shut once more.

"Are you two done running around like a bunch of crazy lunatics and ready to go?" His voice was laced with irritation, and Kagome looked up to see his silver-white hair hung in sweaty tangles. He must have been working hard, and she felt a pang of guilt that she had taken the time while he had been unloading and reloading their supplies to just laze around.

But Sango's guilt was far worse. She immediately wilted, and it was that soft little hesitant whisper that Kagome hated that said ashamedly, "I'm sorry."

Kagome shot her mate a murderous look, and Inuyasha crossed his arms with usual thick-headed obtuseness and demanded, "What?"

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"Oh, Inuyasha! It's _perfect!"_

Sango stayed back by the tall entrance-way, feeling like an interloper as Kagome threw her arms around her hanyou mate and hugged him for all she was worth. Her irritation with Inuyasha suddenly forgotten, Kagome dragged the hanyou's head down for a kiss so full of ardor that it made Sango blush furiously to see. She stepped back, seeking to melt away and leave the two alone, but she bumped right into Ginta, who was coming in with a heavy crate from the laden cart outside.

Sango murmured an apology even as the rather diffident youkai offered one of his own. Ginta gave her a lop-sided grin for their mutual sorry's, but Sango just looked down at her feet, unable to meet his eyes.

Her feeling of earlier elation was gone, leaving her drained and weary. She felt out of place, and did not want to intrude on Inuyasha and Kagome, who were murmuring to each other as they walked further into the large, wide-opened "cabin", arm in arm and eager to explore their new home.

Sango hated to trouble even Ginta, but she had no idea where she should go. Biting her lip and feeling like a fool, she admitted softly, "I do not know where I am supposed to bunk."

Ginta dumped his heavy burden down with a _thunk_ and scratched the back of his head with a nervous air. "Well, I'm not sure where Kagome might want you, but this place isn't all that big, for all its space. I've been here plenty of times with Lord Kouga, and there's really only two chambers that you might call bedrooms."

His brow scrunched in a way which would have made Kagome laugh but only made Sango feel bad that she had put the young ookami to so much trouble. But Ginta finally just shrugged, and said, "I can take you to the downstairs one. The upstairs is bigger. More impressive. Kagome and Inuyasha should probably have that one."

"Let me just get my carry-sack." Sango said, eager to hole herself up in her own spot where she might not feel so out of place, and where she might be able to hide her nervous exhaustion and strain from Kagome's ever-watchful concern. She didn't want to ruin her friend's first night in her new home, and she felt too tired to even put up a token smile.

"I can---" Ginta started to offer, but Sango had already stepped out to pull her small carry-sack from the empty remains of the horse-drawn cart. Ginta blinked when she hurried back inside, loath to make the ookami wait on her and put him out more than she already had.

"Is that it?" Ginta peered back through the opened door, as if expecting her to have more bags lurking undetected on the wide stone steps of the wide-flung porch that fronted the cabin.

"Should I have more?" Sango asked, worried that something was wrong. But all she possessed in the world was in that one sack, and it was only half-filled. She really didn't need or have anything else, and Ginta's bewildered expression made her feel stupid. Perhaps she was supposed to have brought other things, like her own water tablets and nutrition bars…

"Uh, no. Sorry." Ginta said. "I'm just used to Ayame, I guess."

"Ayame?" Sango asked, her curiosity slightly stirring.

"She is…was…the boss's woman." Ginta supplied, though he still made no sense to Sango. Ginta went on, pantomiming a wide load with out-stretched arms. "She always had a thousand and one boxes and bags she could never leave behind."

He smiled, pretending to stagger under a heavy weight, and Sango dropped her eyes back down to her feet, feeling oddly shy. The young, gray-haired ookami was only being nice to her, but she still had difficulty knowing how to react to others, especially youkai. Ginta was not like anyone she had known before. But then again, none of the ookami she had met in the last two days were really like anyone she could ever recall…

Ice blue eyes, hard and unrelenting and yet oddly compassionate, filled her mind's eye, and Sango blushed.

Ginta mistook her blush for embarrassment, and said in a gentle voice, treating her like glass, "This way, miss."

Sango followed silently as the ookami led her past the large, divided space and into the dim hall behind. It was short, and the stone floor was chilly under the thin soles of her deck shoes. Ginta paused before the first door on the right, and did a strange thing that made Sango blink in surprise.

Used to the taken-for-granted technological conveniences of space, she had never seen anyone have to _push_ open a door before. Usually one only had to place their palm on the identilock---if the door was not open-access, and programmed with motion detectors---and it would slide open automatically.

This door was designed the same, though it was made of a thin, rich material that made Sango think of some of the tall, leaf-feathering trees she had seen growing outside as they had walked from the initial landing site to the cabin nestled at the base of the first hills, along the edge of the forest that had beckoned green shadows to her as she passed. Ginta had to physically push the door aside to allow entrance, and it didn't seem to be too difficult for him. Still, it surprised her.

Yet something else to make her feel strange and alien.

Ginta made a grandiose gesture, as if presenting her with a gift. Sango ducked inside, her brown eyes widening in wonder as she contemplated the rich space spread out before her.

"It's a little small." Ginta said apologetically, and Sango blinked.

Small? How could this room be ever considered small? There were few furnishings, only a couple of chests and a bed that could have easily slept five or six. The walls were unadorned, and made of the same rich wood as the manually-operated door. The floor was sanded stone, like the rest of the cabin, but the bed and cushion that spread across the chest that stood under the wide-flung window on the far wall were in coordinating shades of sand and dark chocolate. The resinous wood that made up the walls gave off a piney hint of the deeper forests, and Sango could not believe that _this_ was where she might stay.

Steeling herself, she had to ask, "Are you sure this isn't for somebody else? It's too…" She couldn't finish.

Ginta grinned, fangs flashing. "Well, to be honest, this is it. The cabin isn't really all that big."

That was ridiculous.

"Most of us would just pile up on the floor upstairs if the pack was all here. The hunting's great, you know. Kouga's gonna miss this place, but the Stars know he's got plenty of others. And ever since the last time he was here, when Ayame was too, he hasn't come back. He was sure glad to hand it over to the hanyou." Looking around the room, he smiled. "This was Kouga's room you know."

Ginta was getting downright chatty, and Sango just looked at him in confusion. Ginta cleared his throat, turning red with embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered, "You look bushed."

Sango had to fight back a yawn as her body agreed, even if she didn't understand what the word meant. The last two days had held such excitement that she had not known for more months than she cared to remember.

Ginta's claws rasped the door panel and he started to pull it helpfully closed for her. He gave her a half-smile. "Good night, miss. Hope you sleep good."

Sango blushed as the door snapped shut.

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Kagome slowly stretched, feeling absurdly happy in the luxuriant expanse and softness that made up her bed. Man, she had slept like the dead. And no wonder! Inuyasha had done his hanyou best to ensure she was worn out from his particular attentions, and she remembered the past night with a sensual smile that curved across her soft lips.

Opening her eyes, she murmured his name, thinking it might be fun to see if she could try and wear _him_ out, now that she was rested. "Inuyasha?"

She blinked, realizing her mate was gone. Perturbed, and feeling vaguely put out, she pouted. But the morning was too glorious to waste away feeling sorry for herself, and Kagome tossed back the covers, ready to embrace the new day and this new world she would now called home.

Her toes curled into the soft rugs that dotted the wooden floor of her upper bedroom. The place was perfect, and she could never believe Inuyasha had such taste, or could understand how delighted she would be with their new "cabin".

Cabin! It was a palace! Why, this room alone was bigger than her whole family's quarters back on Thetis. It took up one whole side of the house, and even if it was wide-open from one end to the other, so that the "seating area" on one side, grouped around a small fireplace, was within sight of the cavernous bed she had just spent the best night of her life in, she preferred it to the usual, many-small room spaces she had always known.

The cities of Thetis, where her family had lived, were so crowded that you needed many small rooms to feel as if you had _some_ privacy in an over-crowded, cramped world. But here…here there was nothing and no one to bother her, and the wide open spaces of her new home were just so, well, _homey,_ that Kagome wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

Take, for instance, the colors of her new "bedroom". They were perfect, for both of them. Done in rich shades of red, it was as if it were made especially to combine both her taste and Inuyasha's. Perhaps it had been…

A delicious smell rose up through the open window, and Kagome's belly growled at the enticement. Taking a deep sniff, Kagome smiled softly. If she wasn't mistaken, Inuyasha was done there in the kitchen making breakfast, and by the wonderful smells, was doing his own skills no shame.

Learning that Inuyasha was an exceptional chef was one of the things that still surprised her. One of the many talents that she had never expected her rough-edged barbarian hanyou to have…

Hurrying through her morning routine, Kagome merely paused to brush out her thick, black hair and smooth her arching black brows down with a wet finger. Her stomach protested even that small delay and she whisked down the stairs to greet her mate with a morning kiss.

The main living room was even more impressive by day. The ceiling in the main seating area went up two stories to match the wood-roofed canopy of her bedroom. This half of the house was left open and airy. Her bedroom was the only thing on the upper floor, and Kagome approved the design. She glanced to the right, where Inuyasha stood over the primitive heating unit, his back toward her but his cute white ears swiveled in her direction.

Something sizzled, and Kagome grinned. Scooting around the long counter that served as a half-wall between the main room and the kitchen, she soon had her arms wrapped securely around her mate's waist. Standing on tip-toe, she reached up to give him a peck on the cheek before nestling into his side with easy familiarity.

"Smells wonderful." She said, staring at the frying strips as he deftly turned them over. Inuyasha merely grunted, but he dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head.

"Almost ready." He said, nudging her with his hip. "You wanna go see if that crazy friend of yours is up yet?"

A frown puckered Kagome's brow. Her first instinct was to protest Inuyasha's casual disregard of Sango, but then she realized that it was just his way of not showing that he even cared one way or another about the girl. If she were someone he truly didn't give a damn about, he would hardly have made her breakfast. For the most part, he was too blunt to ever give a rat's (butt) about another's welfare. But his kind heart was already making room for Sango, even if it was mostly for his wife's benefit.

Kagome drew his chin down for a warm, lingering kiss of happy gratitude. Inuyasha was quick to respond, until something snapped in the sizzling pan and he broke the kiss off with a muffled curse. Grinning, Kagome slid out of her hanyou's side and went looking for her friend.

She felt a little guilty about just going off and forgetting all about Sango last night. She hoped she had found her own room…Kagome had been a little busy being distracted by Inuyasha last night to even remember that Sango would have no idea where to go or what to do. But then, helpful Ginta had been there to see them all settled in. She wondered if he, too, had stayed the night.

Crossing the wide space, she tried the first door she came to. It was an over-sized closet of crates and supplies. Trying the next, she smiled happily over what she realized was a rather comfortable library, done in the same deep reds as her bedroom upstairs. It was a cozy space, with an eclectic spread of the useful to the out-dated. A modern vid-screen hung on one wall, while a hideous relic of a desk sprawled across one corner with a waiting computer and portable data-link on its knobby surface. Shelves held everything from various vid-disks to a rather archaic collection of paper-backed books. Kagome was enchanted by the cluttered charm, and she toured the other three rooms with equal delight. A san-unit, with sunken tub (a luxury she had never seen but had read about---water was too precious a resource to waste on such flippancies as a bath in Thetis' crowded human cities) made up the first, and a small, sun-lit sitting room with windows marching along its cornered walls above a L-shaped sopha long enough to sleep two comfortably the second. The last room, thankfully, was where she found Sango.

Kagome slid open the door, and looked in with approval at the simple, sturdy furnishings. This room was more masculine than womanly, but Sango didn't seem the type to complain. If she wanted to change it, Kagome had no problem helping her. The bed was neatly made, and she spied Sango sitting on a cushioned chest, gazing out the single wide window that looked out on the forest beyond, her hands clasped around her drawn up knees, and one cheek resting on her arms as she gazed out with singularly focused attention.

She hadn't even heard Kagome come in, and Kagome sang out, "Good morning!"

Sango jumped, and looked guilty as she clambered down off the chest. "Kagome," she said, blushing.

Kagome giggled at Sango's discomfiture, and went to hug her friend in reassurance. "Did you sleep well? Do you like your room? I still can't believe that _this_ is our new home. It feels like I'm walking around in a daze, that this all a dream. But, there, enough about me. You're too sweet to let me babble on like I do, Sango-chan. Anyway, Inuyasha has made breakfast if you're hungry. Come on. I can say honestly that Inuyasha makes the best scrambled eggs I've ever tasted…"

Kagome bustled the hesitant girl out of the room, mentally adding to herself that she really needed to get the poor girl some proper clothes. Sango had donned another of her utilitarian coveralls, this one in a hideous gray color. It was too baggy for the girl's slight frame, and Kagome's bright blue sundress made it look even shabbier.

But there was time enough for that.

Sango was acting once more like the quietly shy girl Kagome remembered, and so she kept up a stream of inane chatter as she led Sango out to the main room, plopping her down on the bench beside her at the rough-hewn table that served the main space as a dining room. The need to buy some proper chairs---and cushions---was added to Kagome's mental list, and she wondered idly when she might be able to persuade Inuyasha to take her out on a shopping spree. There were a few other things she could use…

There was little ceremony between Inuyasha and her, and Kagome picked up her chopsticks with greedy anticipation as Inuyasha plunked down a heaping plate in front of her. Kagome paused to take in the delicious smells as the contents steamed gently in the air, and she smiled happily before digging in.

Inuyasha grinned and ruffled her hair in passing. His mate could be so direct sometimes. Sango's plate hit the wooden table with a _thunk_ before Inuyasha went around to the other side with his own breakfast and straddled the bench. His own meal was quite different from theirs, mostly consisting of meat and eggs. He had made a hash of potatoes for Kagome's preference, and added some fresh fruit out of deference to her more diverse dietary needs.

The first bite was heaven itself, and Kagome couldn't stop her sigh of pure contentment. Sango had mechanically picked up the helpful spoon she had been provided, and followed suit. Used to the rather bland, if nutritionally accurate, flavors onboard station, her expression was priceless as the girl took her first taste. Even Inuyasha chuckled as Kagome's white teeth flashed in a smile.

"Great, isn't it? There's nothing in the world like Inuyasha's eggs." She demonstrated by taking another bite.

"Is that what this is?" Sango asked shyly, scooping up the yellow stuff on her plate.

Inuyasha and Kagome just stared at her.

Sango flushed. "It's very good." She said hesitantly. "Thank you."

Inuyasha just grunted, though Kagome could tell that he was pleased by the girl's reaction. He was making deep inroads into his own breakfast, but Kagome was surprised at how quickly Sango's plate disappeared. She had rather assumed that the girl was a dainty, even picky, eater. But perhaps it had been more the quality of food offered, than fastidious taste buds. Sango was eating like a trencherman, and almost wolfing her breakfast down as fast as Inuyasha.

Rather than be offended, her mate seemed impressed. He even filled up a second plate before the girl could ask, not certain if she would even have dared. The second disappeared as quickly as the first, and Sango's eyes closed as she savored the last bite, as if she could draw out the experience as long as possible.

Inuyasha' ears pricked when a rather distinctive burp erupted from the girl, and Kagome could not help giggling at her friend's rather startled expression. One small hand covered her mouth as mortification lent fierce color to her cheeks, and it was Inuyasha's laugh that shook the table.

"Now _that_ is a compliment." He smirked.

Kagome's eyes sparkled.

She was glad they were home.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

**THE SOURCE OF SOLACE**

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

**CHAPTER SIX**

Her first day on Kyouko was a wonder to Sango. There was so much to touch, so much to savor, so much to encounter for the first time in her limited experience. After breakfast, she had volunteered to clean up the kitchen. It was the least she could do to pay the hanyou back for his wonderful introduction to such glorious taste and texture as she had just sampled.

The familiar routine of washing and cleaning relaxed and soothed her. She felt almost sleepily content, but the large world outside was calling to her from the wide windows that opened above the deep marble sink. Thick woods encroached on three sides of the house, and the inviting blue-green shadows were whispering to her heart to come and discover what they held hidden in their mysterious depths.

Drying her hands, Sango went in search of Kagome. She found her in what the girl had called the "solar", the room where windows took up the length of two walls. Kagome had a data-pad in hand, and was busy making lists. The girl blinked distractedly up at her when Sango softly asked permission to go outside.

Kagome stared at her in surprise, and Sango stirred uneasily. She should be getting used to those stares by now. Both Kagome and Inuyasha seemed to be giving her quite a number of them. But it made her feel like such a fool…

Kagome's expression softened. "Sango, you don't have to ask permission for anything. This is your home too, you know."

Sango bit her lip. "Well, you might need me to do some work around the house. I wasn't sure just what my duties would be."

Kagome's brown eyes were mischievous, though her tone was firm. "Consider this your first day off. Now go outside before you distract me!"

Sango wasn't certain how to react to the threat in Kagome's laugh, so she melted back into the hall as the other girl bent her head back over her data-pad. Deciding to take it as an order, Sango crossed the main room and out the front door.

For a long moment, she simply stood on the wide porch, drinking in the amazing world spread out below. The front of the house faced west, and the broad, sloping field rolled before her, the simple, hard-packed path that had guided them here winding slowly up from the lower hills. Her head turned as something chirruped from the shadowy forest, drawing her attention. Stepping down off of the porch, Sango followed the intriguing sound as if one drawn.

The emerald shadows soon enfolded her, and Sango became lost to the world around her.

_This_ was what her soul had been thirsting for…

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It was late, and the sunlight had faded into twilit shadows by the time Sango finally emerged from the deep woods. She had finally been broken from her enraptured reverie by Kagome's anxious call, and the irritated growl of her hanyou mate. Sango had not wandered far, there was so much to see and experience that she had not needed to. She had found the source of that intriguing call, a small, feathered creature she recognized as a 'bird', and even touched the rough-hewn bark of the growing resinwood trees that had been cut and sanded down to form the walls of her new bunkroom. Their scent was so much stronger, and she had spent some time just drinking it in.

Reluctantly turning away, Sango hurried back to the clearing. Kagome's welcoming smile turned concerned as she emerged from the thick brush, and Sango stared down at herself in confusion. Dirt smeared the front of her once-clean uniform, and there were tears in the so-called indestructible fabric that she had not remembered acquiring.

White claws pulled a leafy twig from her long, tangled hair, and Sango shied away from Inuyasha, who had suddenly appeared at her side. He just grinned at her, fangs flashing, and sauntered past his startled wife and into the house. Kagome came running down the porch steps to scold her, saying she had worried when Sango had disappeared all day. Sango felt terrible and apologized profusely. Kagome only hugged her and told her not to pay any attention to her stupid fears. She just wanted to make sure Sango was okay.

Sango suddenly wrapped her friend in a tight hug of gratitude, surprising them both at the unusual display of emotion. Kagome laughed, and pulled another twig from her hair. "You're never going to get all that out, you know!"

Sango flushed, wondering what she must look like, dirty and torn, with leaves in her hair.

"You look wonderfully alive." Kagome said with her strange accuracy for Sango's innermost thoughts. Sango's surprise must have shown, because Kagome smiled, and explained, "It's your eyes. They show everything you're thinking."

Sango's look of chagrin sent Kagome into a fit of the giggles. Taking her hand, Kagome pulled her up the porch steps and into the house behind her, where inviting smells made Sango's mouth water and her stomach rumble in anticipation.

Dinner was a repeat performance of breakfast, where Sango surprised even herself at how quickly she cleaned off her plate, and the second one Inuyasha silently fetched for her. Kagome couldn't quit giggling, and Sango's flushes of embarrassment even took the sting out of Inuyasha's irritated scowls at the pair of them. Kagome's teasing of her mate had Sango smiling faintly as the pair of them fought over inane things they both seemed to enjoy quarreling about.

As before, she offered to clean up the mess, and Kagome sighed with satisfaction. "Thank you, Sango! You don't know how much I hate washing dishes, and Inuyasha, while a great cook, hates cleaning up the mess even more than I!"

Sango was glad she could help in such a simple task. Cleaning up the kitchen was hardly repayment for all that she owed the raven-haired girl.

She was tired, worn out and blinking sleepily over the last dish as she aligned it in the drying rack with the others. Inuyasha and Kagome had settled in front of the great fireplace in the main sitting room, the hanyou busily working on his flat-screen computer, his mate content to snuggle against him and play with the ends of his silver hair.

Sango could not suppress a yawn, and she bade them a quiet good night. Kagome returned her soft smile and waved at her airily to not bother. Sango left them alone, seeking her own room.

Stumbling out of her dirty and torn coverall, Sango barely took the time to pull her sleeveless gray top over her head, not bothering to pull on the shorts that went with it. Both were standard sleeping attire provided by her work detail on Station Nine. Peeling back the thick covers on the window-side of the enormous bed, she slid in with a sigh. The faint hint of resin from the cured woods of her walls reminded her of the deeper forest, as well as the dancing perfume of various flowers that Kagome had thoughtfully arranged in a vase on one chest. Sango tumbled down into dreams, a soft smile curving her lips as she curled on her side, the pearly shade of moonlight kissing across her cheek as her eyes closed in sweet repose.

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The first moon of Kyouko had set and the second and third had not yet risen to make their twin journey across the darkened expanse. Only a handful of stars sprinkled the night sky, the rest obscured by the clouds that had rolled in behind him.

Kouga hauled his single carry-sack over his shoulder as he closed the skimmer's door with a faint _click_. Even the sleek silver lines of the graceful ship were hidden in the enfolding darkness. His eyes adjusted to the familiar surroundings, and he paused to breathe in the untainted air around him. A chill-edged breeze played with the long ends of his hair and stirred the trees of the forest beyond.

The silence was broken by a purely feminine giggle, which turned into a soft moan. Kouga's sensitive ears twitched, and his fangs flashed in a wolfish grin as he glanced up at the darkened second story of the cabin in front of him. Much as he would like to let Inuyasha know he was here, he was not so crass as to interrupt the hanyou from his rather pleasurable pursuits.

Certain of his welcome, and more than familiar with the place that had once been his own, Kouga slipped in through the front door with barely a sound. There was a slight pause upstairs before another soft gasp feathered the heavy silence, and he knew that Inuyasha had heard him, taken his scent, and dismissed his presence as too unimportant to interrupt the more pleasant attentions of his mate.

His eyes had adjusted enough to the shadows to make his way past the main room. An overwhelming scent of perfuming flowers filled his nose, which twitched. His heightened senses were sometimes _too_ sensitive, and the cut flowers masked any other odors he might have been able to detect. With long strides, he stepped past the open space and slid back the door stealthily to the room he had always preferred over the more opulent one upstairs.

The irritating flowers still plagued his keen senses…had Inuyasha's mate put the damn things in every room of the house? With stealthy movements, not wanting to disturb that mate or bear the consequence of Inuyasha's righteous wrath if he did, Kouga slithered out of the jacket and rumpled silk shirt he had not bothered to change before undocking the neat little skimmer from Yoro. Casually tossing them on the nearest chest, he pulled off his shoes before hooking his claws on the waistband of his denims, ready to slip them off.

He froze, bare-chested and muscles tightening over strong, wide shoulders, as he suddenly realized he was not alone. Was it the soft whisper of faint movement on satin sheets, or the faint scent that now reached him through the masking stench of flowers that gave it away? He didn't care, he just knew that there was a human onna in his room, and it took him a moment to recognize the particular fragrance of her.

_Sango._

He froze, not wanting to wake her up. He remembered how she had heard him in his apartment, as few ever could, even though he had moved with the stealthy silence of a youkai predator. But she seemed deeply asleep, and her breaths remained slow and even, undisturbed by his presence.

He should pick up his crap and go, leaving the girl to her rest. But he knew how lumpy and hard that damn couch was out in the main room, and he didn't want to startle Kagome should she decide to come down and use the only san-unit available in the small cabin. Inuyasha would have his head on a platter if he should scare his little mate, and hell, there was plenty of room on that bed for the both of them. With how deeply the onna was sleeping, she would not even know he was there. If the girl Sango woke up, he could easily hear her and wake up ahead of time to reassure her he wasn't there to ravish her like some damn youkai hentai. It would be better for all of them if he just stayed in here.

Or that was what he told himself, making absurd excuses for reasons he refused to consider.

He decided to keep his denims on, no use scaring the girl with ideas that he wanted to do more than just sleep. He had had little rest in the past two nights, first dealing with the strange onna who was sleeping so soundly now in his bed, the second dealing with all the stupidly irritating and mundane aggravations he had to before departing for the planet. He had intentions of staying down on Kyouko for some time, and had to make sure that his little trading empire on Yoro could function without his claws at the helm…

The onna was curled on the side closest to the window, a dark shape muffled in blankets. There was still a vast expanse between them as Kouga gingerly settled himself on the other side. The mattress creaked slightly at his weight, but the girl didn't even stir. Slipping the covers up to his waist, Kouga crossed his arms behind his head to provide a firmer pillow. His blue eyes contemplated the shapeless mound across from him for a long time, her distinctively feminine scent stronger now than the stinking perfume of wilting flowers or the faint pine-scent of the treated resinwood used for both walls and furniture.

He watched as the second and third moons rose, making a wispy silver-pearl patch across the stone floor as clouds swirled over them, until the clouds won the battle against the light, and the room was darkened once more. Closing his eyes, he allowed his body to relax, and the darkness took him as well…

Something was tickling his chest, and Kouga stirred in irritation. Opening his eyes, he realized that the sky had lightened as the first tentative touches of cloudy dawn peeked over the dark gray blurs of the forest outside the open window. The predawn air was downright chilly, and he uncrossed his arms to hitch the covers higher on his chest, still not ready to move from the warmth of the bed.

The ticklish sensation returned, and he brushed at the irritant with an impatient hand…only to feel his claws tangle in it. Looking down, he saw that it was the ends of the onna's black hair feathering against his chest. He followed the long sweep of her hair and stared at the girl who now faced him.

She had turned in her sleep, away from the colder touch of the chilly air from the window, and was now facing him, her body curled up in a huddle of blankets so that only the slight oval of her features were exposed. She must have instinctively sought out his warmth in the expansive bed, and though she did not touch him, she was near enough that he could make out the soft ripples in the fabric of her pillow as her slow, even breaths whispered across it.

Her skin was pale, her sharp, thin features relaxed in sleep. The red tattoo across her upper eyelids was only a grayed shadow against the darker line of her lashes, which were incredibly long and thick. Her black hair, still confined somewhat in the tail she always kept it in, was feathered across the mattress between them, the tips just barely touching his chest and stomach. Unable to resist, he touched the ends with a light claw. The light was brightening, and he could make out delicate brown hairs among the fine ebony. Her hair was tangled, and his fangs flashed in a grin as he realized she had a briar, of all things, caught in the thick black length.

Careful lest she rouse, he used his claws to comb out the annoying little bugger. With infinite patience, he untangled one strand after another with a gentle touch, all so that he would not wake her up. He could just imagine her reaction to _that._

When she didn't stir under his careful ministrations, he took the time to remove a few bits of leaf caught in the smooth ripples. He was surprised at the texture, he had not known an onna's hair could be so tantalizingly soft…

The door slammed open with such force it bounced back in its tracks. Amber eyes blazed as Inuyasha nearly snarled, "Just what the (frag) do you think you are doing, you mangy wolf?"

Kouga closed his eyes in an exasperated sigh as he felt the other side of the bed pitch. There was a half-gasp and a muffled _thump_, and he opened his blue eyes up to see the blankets abandoned and the onna slide back into the corner, kneeling in a purely defensive crouch, her fingers groping at her side as if searching for some type of weapon.

Surprised at the maneuver, Kouga sat up and stared at her, his black brows drawn down in consternation. Inuyasha, too, was staring at her in surprise, Kouga's presence forgotten.

The girl crouched, her legs bent but prepared to whirl away from the corner if the need arose. One hand was held out, away from her body in a claw-like gesture, the other gripping at her waist for a hilt that was not there. Her brown eyes were wide and wary, the sleep-rumpled ends of her hair cascading down her tense shoulders and back. Her outfit left little to the imagination; the sleeveless top hugged her thin frame, her underwear doing little to hide the white expanse of muscle-tensed thigh that was exposed to the hip. The chilly air had pebbled her breasts under the light fabric, and Kouga grimaced as he felt himself tightening in healthy response.

Both males stared at her in appreciation, but it was Inuyasha who finally blinked away his surprise and rounded on his friend, his growl loud enough to wake the dead. "You damn wolf. What do you think you're doing?"

Kouga smirked. "Well, I _was_ sleeping."

"In here." Inuyasha's voice was flat, almost as if he couldn't believe the ookami had that much gall.

Kouga pulled back the covers and slid out of bed, blue eyes amused. "Yes, in here."

"Sango?" Kagome peeked around her mate's bulky frame, brown eyes wide as she took in the scene before her. Kouga hitched his low-riding denims up with studied nonchalance, trying to adjust himself with discreet innocence. Sango nervously stood up as Kagome slid from her mate's side.

"Are you both crazy?" Kagome rounded a glare on both males, snatching a sheet from the bed to drape over Sango's shoulders. "It's cold in here. Come on, Sango-chan. I have something more…uh…warm…that you can wear." Keeping her hands on Sango's shoulders, Kagome steered her past Inuyasha's cross-armed glare. Sango threw a last, confused look over her shoulder at Kouga, who had a faint, sardonic smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

As soon as the pair disappeared, Inuyasha rounded on his ookami friend. "What in all that's (frag)ing wrong with the world were you doing in here?"

Kouga matched Inuyasha's cross-armed stance, though he relaxed easily against the hard wood of the wall behind him. With a droll tone that did not hide the faint steel behind it, he said, "Didn't I tell you? I was sleeping."

"In here." Inuyasha repeated himself, in the same flat tone.

Kouga shrugged. "The couch is lumpy."

"The couch…" Inuyasha's eyes blazed gold. With an abrupt movement, his curled fist came flying for Kouga's head. Kouga, expecting it, dodged and grabbed the hanyou's fist in his own. Golden eyes blazed into icy blue, and the hanyou nearly snarled. "You damn bastard. I won't have you play any stinking games with that particular onna. She's Kagome's friend, and is under _my_ protection. You'll keep your filthy claws to yourself, got that, you stinking wolf?"

Scarlet touched the edges of Kouga's vision, and he fought to keep his instinctive rage back. "Look, Mutt-face, it's not like that. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Sango."

"No?" Inuyasha snarled, challenging his old friend in a way Kouga didn't like but could not help but understand. Inuyasha had found him in quite a compromising situation, and knowing his past like no one else did, the hanyou couldn't help but think that Kouga would only see the young woman as an easy conquest.

But he didn't, and Kouga's voice had a bite as he replied, his blue eyes steady on his friend's, "No."

Inuyasha grunted, accepting Kouga's word. Kouga relaxed, though he kept his fist around the hanyou's, wary of retribution. He didn't expect Inuyasha to let it go at that, and he was right.

The hanyou's left fist came out of nowhere to sock the ookami lord right in the gut, making the breath whoosh out of him in surprise at the strength of the blow. Blue eyes seeped red anger for a moment, and Inuyasha watched silently as the ookami battled back his responsive fury. Kouga regained his wind, and rubbed at the tight, sore muscles of his abdomen. He gave the hanyou a grudging look of respect even as he growled low with warning menace, "Maybe I deserved that. Just don't ever do it again, dog-boy."

"Gods, but that felt good." Inuyasha grinned, rubbing his sore knuckles.

Kouga only grunted, but the air was cleared between them. Inuyasha clasped his friend's bare shoulder with a friendly air. "C'mon, wolf. Let's go catch breakfast."

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"There." Kagome stepped back to survey her handiwork. She couldn't stop the grin that split her face as Sango self-consciously hitched up her pants, which kept sliding down her leaner hips. She and Kagome were roughly the same height, but she was not as curvaceous as the other young woman.

"A belt will help." Kagome said practically, and went to fetch one.

It did, and Sango gave her friend a grateful smile. Kagome gave her the once-over, and sighed. "It'll do, but I really need to see about getting you some decent clothes."

"Kagome, you don't need to do so much for me," Sango demurred.

"Nonsense." Kagome waved any protests aside. "What are friends for? Besides, I can't stand seeing you look like a frump. It looks bad on me and Inuyasha."

"Oh." Sango felt guilty for putting Kagome out so much.

Kagome noticed the girl's expression, and threw her arms around her. "Oh, Sango! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, truly I didn't. I wasn't thinking, and the words just popped out. I am so sorry!"

Sango blinked. "Kagome-chan, you don't have to apologize to me. You didn't say anything that wasn't true. Please don't think I'm upset by anything you ever say to me. You are my dearest friend, my only friend, and I owe so much to you. You are the one who gave me back myself, and I can never repay you for that."

It was Kagome's turn to blink. "Huh? But it wasn't me who woke you up. It was Kouga grabbing you, wasn't it?"

Sango smiled, she could not explain to the earnest young girl that it had been _her_ presence onboard the _Eminence_ that had first crept through the fog-induced uncertainty of Alteration. Her presence, and her friendship.

"Speaking of Kouga…" Kagome's expression darkened. "Are you sure you're okay, Sango? He didn't…uh…_do_ anything, did he?"

Sango blushed, and ducked her head. "No. And you shouldn't be angry, Kagome. He might not have known that I was there…"

Kagome snorted, a surprisingly unladylike sound for the feminine girl.

"It's his room, you know." Sango offered weakly. "Ginta told me."

Kagome shook her head, even while a smile crept across her lips. "I can't believe you're defending him, Sango. You continue to amaze me with just how sweet you are. If it had been me, I would have been ready to _kill_ him---with a dirty, rusty nail."

Sango just shook her head. "You're wrong, Kagome. You are the sweet one. There are things you don't know about me, things I don't even know myself, things that only hint to me that there is much I would rather _not _know…"

"Nonsense!" Kagome replied. "That's just your hunger talking. We haven't even had breakfast yet. Come on, if I know Inuyasha, he'll have something ready for us soon enough."

Even as Kagome dismissed her fears, Sango wasn't so sure. But she gave in, and dutifully followed the other girl down the stairs.

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"That's gross." Kagome made a face at the dripping carcasses left hanging above the sink.

Inuyasha just let out a gusty sigh of impatience for the foibles of his somewhat dense mate. "Where the hell do you think meat comes from, Kagome?"

Kagome knew full well where meat came from, but she retorted just to irk her easily irked mate, "Everybody knows it comes from the grocery store."

Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look, actually thinking for a minute that she really believed that. Kagome giggled.

Inuyasha could be so dense sometimes!

With a mock scowl, the hanyou's claws whipped out to pull her close and nibble one ear in retribution. Kagome sighed with sensual enjoyment, but jumped as a rather dry voice behind her interrupted the loving moment.

"Should I leave you two alone?"

"Damn wolf." Inuyasha muttered darkly under his breath as Kagome whipped around with an over-bright smile on her face, though her cheeks were stained with a blush.

"Uh…good morning, Kouga. When did you get in?"

Amusement flickered deep in the light blue eyes. "Last night." He answered, casually leaning against the other side of the long bar that divided the kitchen from the sitting area.

Kagome flushed, belatedly recalling this morning's fiasco. "Er…yes."

"Are you done teasing my mate?" Inuyasha growled. "I could use some help cutting up breakfast, wolf."

Kouga smirked. "You mean, the breakfast I caught? You're getting too slow, old man. You're out of practice. If it weren't for me, we'd all be eating scrambled eggs."

The ookami added a twitch of disgust for emphasis as he easily made his way around the counter to pull one of the fresh kills off of the drain. Moving around the cupboards with easy familiarity, he soon had a chopping block and knife set up in preparation. With a few deft flashes of the heavy blade, he had separated the rabbit-like bush-tail into large quarters. He reached for the second one to repeat the performance.

"That was only a lucky catch, you cocky bastard." Inuyasha replied, cracking open the eggs Kouga despised but which his wife preferred.

The two of them continued to bicker as Kagome looked on in amusement. She looked up when she heard Sango come into the room from using the san-unit, and smiled by way of greeting.

Sango came forward hesitantly, and Kagome noted with approval that her pants, held up by the belt, stayed in place and not down her hips. The white cotton blouse Kagome had provided her only enhanced the paleness of her skin, but it was better than the horrible coveralls the girl usually wore.

She definitely had to get Sango some clothes…

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sango asked shyly, coming to stand beside Kagome, who was content to sit and watch her mate and his ookami friend do all the work.

Surprisingly, it was Kouga who answered her query. Arching a black brow, he said, "Can you stomach cutting up meat? Real meat?"

Sango looked at the bloody mess with curiosity, not repugnance.

"It's simple." Inuyasha said, his gruff voice gentler than usual as he fetched down another block for the girl to use. "Just cut the meat into sections about this big." He made motions with his hands as Kouga scooped up a double handful to land with a squishy _plop_ on the block, making Kagome shudder.

"Sango, you don't have to if you don't want to." She said, making a face.

"It's okay, Kagome. It's not icky or anything." Sango replied in a distracted voice, easily separating the larger pieces.

Kagome scowled at the two males, who grinned.

Wiping the blood from his claws, Kouga handed the girl a sharp knife, hilt first.

Sango took the knife with a curious look on her face, wrapping her slender fingers around the hilt and testing the balance and weight of the blade. With a slight shake, she seemed to come back to herself, and got to work, deftly separating the larger portions of bloody meat into the approximate size Inuyasha wanted.

Inuyasha and Kouga exchanged a telling glance between them, and Kagome frowned over their particular behavior. Inuyasha avoided her eyes, busying himself with serving up breakfast. For a time, the homey scene settled, and Kagome forgot their strange actions as she took a deep inhalation of the delicious aromas rising over Inuyasha's stove.

"Rare." Kouga ordered, sliding his finished cuts into the pan kept hot and ready for them. The meat sizzled and snapped in its own juice, and Inuyasha just growled as he flipped bits over, searing all sides.

Sango finished her labors, and Kouga dumped the tidy pile into the same pan over Inuyasha's scowled protest. "Damn it, wolf. I like my meat cooked, not just scorched." Deftly picking out the pieces Kouga preferred rare, he piled them on a nearby plate, allowing his own meat to cook longer.

"That's cause you're half human, mutt-face." Kouga retorted. "No appreciation for the right way to eat meat."

His fangs flashed. "Fresh."

Inuyasha just snorted his disgust.

Sango was too busy setting up the table to pay heed to their nonsense, so Kagome went and helped her. Just as she poured the last water glass, Inuyasha announced that breakfast was ready.

"About time." Kouga groused, helping to haul their plates from the kitchen to the table. Kagome had thought they would seat themselves as they had before, but Inuyasha deftly insinuated himself beside her, plunking their plates down and ignoring the silverware to pick his plate clean his preferred way, with his claws. Kagome had despaired long ago of ever teaching him anything remotely like table manners, but she noticed that Kouga was eating his food the same way, so maybe it was a youkai thing.

Sango, who had deferentially waited to seat herself after the others, bit her lip as Kouga straddled the bench across from Kagome and Inuyasha. He put her plate down beside him, and even patted the empty space with a teasing glint his blue eyes.

"Don't worry. I don't bite."

"Much." Inuyasha muttered, and grunted when Kagome's elbow jammed into his ribs at Sango's widened brown eyes. "Damn it, wench…"

Kagome's smile was over-bright. "Go ahead, Sango. You don't want your food to get cold."

Sango gingerly took her seat, picking up her utensils and scooping up the eggs she now recognized. This morning, Inuyasha had added some of the more tender bits of meat she had helped carve up, properly cooked for human sensibilities. Included were some pieces of fruit that Kagome could not name, but which tasted sweet on the tongue, almost like cinnamon and apples but with more juice than a true apple would have. It was a curious pink color, with a deeper red skin.

As before, Sango was quite impressive in how quickly she could clean off her plate, and it was becoming a habit for Inuyasha to automatically fetch her a second helping. She wasn't the only one; both males had healthy appetites, and even Kagome allowed herself a small additional serving of eggs and redfruit.

Sango was done before anyone, though Kouga was sopping up the last of the meat's juice with a bit of bread. He glanced at the empty plate, and said bluntly, "Damn, woman, you can eat."

Sango blushed, looking embarrassed, but Kagome noticed that the ookami seemed more impressed than shocked. His blue eyes held approval and something else as he looked down on the black-haired girl beside him.

Kagome blinked.

And then she grew abruptly thoughtful, and a secretive, almost triumphant smile flickered over her pursed lips as she studied the pair across from her with sudden intensity.

Inuyasha frowned, giving his wife a suspicious glance out of amber eyes.

Kagome merely smiled serenely.

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Kouga had been in the middle of repairing some rather torn nets for Inuyasha's use when Kagome purposely came to find him.

He glanced up as the young onna cleared her throat, though he had felt her presence long before she had come into view of the small shed where he worked. Still, it didn't do good to let one know just how keen his senses were. Ningen, in his experience, were often startled by the fact and seemed frightened by it.

Though he thought idly that there was little that could truly scare Kagome.

"Hiya, Kouga." Kagome seemed a little too bright and cheerful as she greeted him, and Kouga's eyes narrowed in suspicion. A wry expression flickered over the girl's features, but was quickly suppressed, as her smile grew wider.

"Can I help you, Kagome?" Kouga asked, instinctively wary but courteous with his best friend's mate. Besides, he rather liked Inuyasha's feisty wench for herself, and what could Kagome do that would ever truly affect _him_ in any way?

"Why yes, Kouga, yes you can." Kagome said ingeniously, sitting down next to him on the workbench. Kouga cocked a brow up as the onna suddenly assumed a rather worried expression. She even started wringing her hands, and Kouga didn't know whether to be wary or amused.

"You see, Kouga, I'm worried. About Sango." Kagome's brown eyes stared earnestly into his, her voice threaded with deep concern. But her scent betrayed the lie, though it wasn't _exactly_ a lie. It was just that Kagome wasn't as concerned as she would have him believe. But there was a trace of worry in there, as well as some inexplicable emotions he could not name.

The other brow rose, and Kouga waited impassively.

Undaunted, Kagome went on with her artful display. "You see, Sango went off into the woods some time ago and hasn't returned yet. I mean, I really _shouldn't _worry. She spent all day yesterday in the forest, and was fine. Inuyasha told me she would be all right, as long as she stayed close to the house. But you know Sango. She has such an adventurous spirit…"

Kagome trailed off, as even she realized that that particular statement was a bit of an over-reach, even for her. But Kouga didn't appear to have heard that last little sentence, for he was frowning, and his black brows had come down in what could only be called a frown.

Kouga had heard the onna, and definitely that rather outrageous prevarication at the end. But there was actually something in Kagome's speech to be truly concerned with, though the onna didn't appear to know just how serious Sango's solitary trek into the deeper forests could be. There were strange creatures out there, dangerous creatures that a young girl raised on the shielded, sterile world of ship and station would never recognize _as_ dangerous.

And that particular onna was quite a tasty little morsel…for some wild animal bent on a mid-day snack, of course.

Kouga abruptly stood, dropping the nets he had held in his claws so that he could curve his hands around his mouth and call to his four-legged brothers. If any one could find the young woman's whereabouts, it was them. They were always lurking near, somehow sensing his presence whenever and wherever he happened to show up on the planet.

Kagome was staring at him with wide brown eyes as his howl lifted across the clearing. His cupped palms magnified the sound, so that it reverberated further out than his normal volume. There was a sharp _thud_ from the innards of the cabin, and Inuyasha came whipping out the front door as if his tail was on fire---if he ever had a tail. His gold-amber eyes searched immediately for his mate, and seeing her safe, if stunned, beside the ookami, he scowled while stalking over to them.

"Inuyasha." Kagome looked a little faint.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded, ignoring her.

"Kagome says Sango is in the woods."

"Yeah, so?" Inuyasha crossed his arms in his normal, belligerent stance.

"Well, this forest isn't as cleared as you think it might be, mutt-face." Kouga replied, steel sharpening his voice.

Inuyasha cocked a black brow. "So why are you still standing here, wolf-breath?"

Kouga gave his friend a wry smile, before turning and putting the hanyou's barb to action. Taking a few strides for measure, he leapt into the woods and was gone before Kagome could even blink.

Kouga called to his brothers as the shadowed growth closed in around him. Easily dodging around any obstacle in his path, he extended his stride, feeling his muscles stretch and an almost euphoric sense overtake him. It had been a long time since he had stretched out his legs and felt the wind against his skin, a wind he created with his own swift passage. He let the exhilaration distract him for but a single moment, before stifling it under his concern for the girl wandering so innocently amid the forest which held its secrets, both compelling and sinister, close to its breast.

He heard a faint, howling answer to the right, and veered in that direction. He was surprised by how far the girl had hiked into the woods, and his apprehension added length to his stride. He snapped through a veiling stand of young trees and brush, feeling branches pull at his rather impractical clothing and twigs and leaves break off as he passed. He burst into the open meadow, his feet thudding to earth.

The girl, who had been stretched out on the ground under a blanket of late flowers and the branching shelter of a large oak, sat up abruptly at his noisy entrance, looking around with confusion. She froze, but her eyes were on the shaggy brown forms who had come out of the far side of the clearing, rather than on him.

To his amazement, she actually got to her knees and made a soft greeting to the milling pack of wolves that had their attention divided between her and their ookami lord. One of them whined, and the girl actually made a coaxing noise and started to crawl forward on her knees. Two of the wolves, wild ones, pulled their lips back from their teeth to growl warning, but the girl seemed to not have heard.

Kouga was at her side in flash. "Stay still." His voice was harsh and loud even to his own ears as a clawed hand clamped down hard on the stupid onna's shoulder. She threw her head back to look at him, smothering a faint hiss of shock at his abrupt appearance.

But Kouga's eyes were focused on the small pack of wolves that milled uncertainly on the other side of the field. He snarled, and their heads came up, ears cocked in his direction. With a string of short barks and guttural sounds deep in his throat, he put them in their place. The two wild ones who had growled at the onna belly-dropped to the ground in submission and whined apologies.

Kouga barked a command, and the wolves crept close, their tails wagging tentatively, their heads lowered and manner cautious as they came nigh.

Kouga's claws tightened on the girl's shoulder. "Let them take your scent." He ordered. She twitched under his hard hold, but he snapped out a warning, "Or they will consider you fair game for dinner. Got that?"

The girl froze and Kouga grinned toothily at the smell of fear and surprise that threaded the girl's distinctive scent. Good. Now maybe she would obey him.

The nearest wolf, the pack's leader, dropped to his belly just a few feet from them, whining and wagging its lowered tail with a hopeful expression. Kouga, exuding alpha dominance, growled his assent. The wolf crawled forward and paused at the onna's knees.

"Keep still." Kouga growled to her, and made a low noise in the back of his throat. The wolf sniffed, and the girl sat as still as a statue. With growing courage under the ookami's watchful eye, the wolf stepped closer, sniffing the girl over like he would another wolf, memorizing her scent. His jaws opened, showing jagged rows of sharp teeth, and he wrinkled his lips back in approval. Kouga could feel the girl suppress the will to flinch away as the wet nose and the sharp teeth that came with it started twitching across her face and hair.

Suddenly, a pink tongue lolled out and swiped up her pale cheek. The girl could not stop herself from rearing back, and Kouga barked a sharp reprimand. The wolf fell to his belly and whined, his ears flat.

But the girl surprised him. Instead of cowering away, she actually laughed, an unexpectedly rich sound. One hand came up to her wet cheek, and she remarked softly, "That tickled."

Tickled?

Kouga relaxed, blue eyes amused. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting go. He called the other wolves closer, certain now that the girl, though out of her mind for not being scared, would be fine with their clownish behavior. Now that their leader had taken her scent and accepted her, the rest of them would follow, and he need not worry for her safety.

And now that the neighboring wolves had Sango's signature, he could send along a watchful escort whenever she happened to take it back into her head to go traipsing out alone in the woods again. He was, however, prepared to give her a _thorough_ lecture on how to do so both safely and smartly.

Because he didn't doubt that there _would_ be a next time…

He dropped to the earth in an easy cross-legged sprawl, and allowed the whining wolves to greet him as well. Excitedly, the four-legged brothers crowded round their alpha lord, rubbing noses and taking swipes at his hands and chin. He allowed them their display, scratching ears and ruffling fur until he heard a slight yelp from his side, and his head snapped around, growling off the playful young wolf who had put his front paws on Sango's shoulders and knocked her slighter weight back into the grass. Two others pounced on her, attacking her shaking head with playful swipes as she giggled and tried to roll over and dodge wet, drooly tongues.

Kouga snarled a second command, and the wolves fell back whining with tails between their legs. They were young, yearlings only, and not as attentive as the older members of the pack. Already, their leader (and probable father) was growling deep in his throat with admonishment.

"Oh, don't be mad at them." Sango said, her brown eyes lit up to an almost cinnamon color. "They were just playing."

Kouga liked that the young onna was defending his wolves to him, their ookami lord, but discipline must always come first in the pack. He growled a command, and the pack leader wuffed in ascent. With a sudden motion, the whole band were on their feet and loping back toward the woods, where they melted into the deep foliage.

Sango had rolled over on her belly, looking after them with a wistful air. "Do they have to go?" She asked.

"Yes." Kouga said simply, and left it at that. He had sent them off to take up sentry around the small meadow, not wanting to leave the quiet spot just yet.

Sango, too, didn't seem intent on leaving. She rolled back over to lie on her side and propped her head on one hand. Kouga was surprised by how different she was acting from her normal, almost timid behavior. Her question, coming out of the blue as it did, surprised him as well.

"This is your planet, isn't it?"

"It is the Clan's, yes." Kouga answered, his blue eyes searching hers. But there seemed no ulterior motive there, just shy curiosity.

"It's beautiful." The girl said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of pine-scented, earthy air. Kouga hid a grin. Simply put, and simple truth.

"How did you…the Clan…find such a beautiful place?"

Kouga surprised himself by answering her. "My grandfather was the first to claim this planet for the Ookami Clan, and named it Kyouko, for the strength of the mountain."

"The strength of the mountain." Sango's voice was soft, reverent. "It's beautiful."

Again, simply put and simple truth. This onna was more complex than he could have imagined. She already had more understanding than even Ayame, with her birth on this place of unspoiled beauty and wild nature that called to the ookami and stirred deep in their blood when they stood on the soil of their homeworld, ever could.

Now why the hell had he even thought about that selfish little wolfling? Ayame far preferred the amenities of technology to the wilds of her birthplace. She had even admitted to him that she hated the very wilderness that he craved. Yet another reason the deluded, power-hungry female would never have been able to become his mate.

"What made you decide to open Kyouko up for colonization?" Sango interrupted his wandering thoughts, and blushed for her daring.

Kouga again surprised himself by answering easily, "It's not. Only the southeastern continent, what we call Seppan in the old tongue, is open for settlement. The rest of Kyouko is forbidden to ningen. It's is sacred to the Clan, and I will not have it despoiled by men."

"Oh." Sango rolled up into a sitting position, her back to him, their easy camaraderie abruptly broken.

Kouga frowned, feeling like an (butt) but saying nothing. Slender fingers brushed across the grass beside her, combing through them as if seeking comfort. Kouga studied her bent head, and the long tail of midnight hair that hung in mussed tangles down her cotton-clad back. Pale green stains smeared the white fabric, and she had broken grass stems in her hair. Without thinking, he reached out a claw and plucked one from the top of her ponytail.

Sango's head whipped around in surprise at the unexpected touch, and Kouga shrugged, more at himself than at her, and held up the broken green stem in explanation.

The girl colored---damn, but she could blush easily---and her fingers combed through her long hair, missing most of the small green bits that clung stubbornly to the tangled tresses. Kouga chuckled, and moved closer to her.

"Allow me." He said, claws held out for her permission.

Sango gave him a wary look, her brown eyes searching his face, which he kept expressionless. Let her take his offer as she wanted. After a long minute, she nodded, and turned her head forward, so that her black hair hung long and rippling down her back.

Kouga was careful, making sure to only touch the various grass stems that festooned her hair. The girl's shoulders were so tense he was afraid she might jump up in fright if he dared anything else. Still, he couldn't resist gently brushing out the silky tresses with his fingers as he finished, allowing the fine, midnight strands to fall through his claws and noting that the occasional brown strand was more noticeable in true daylight than early dawn.

She shifted uncomfortably from one hip to another, her turn to break the spell, and he let her locks fall. Kouga breathed in her earthy scent, and sat back to put a bit of distance between them, more for her comfort than his. Her fingers were back at the verdant carpet, plucking nervously, and he said off-handedly, again more for her benefit than giving a good damn, "You aren't the only one with leaves in your hair."

He flipped his own black tail over his shoulder to grimace at the bits of leaf and twig his long hair had gathered up. Sango turned around to see him tug at a thorny briar, his expression sour.

"Allow me." She said, eager to return what she considered a mere favor on his part. A black brow rose, and she dropped her gaze, flushing. "It's only fair. I mean, you helped me…"

"Okay." Kouga interrupted her, amusement glinting deep in his blue eyes. He kept his expression carefully blank, not wanting to scare the timid doe off.

Sango turned around fully, so that she faced him. Putting out a tentative hand, she gathered the fine black strands, not as silky at hers, more wiry but still soft to her questing fingers. Kouga watched her, as she became intent on her task. He had a number of briars in the heavy length, and she scooted closer to him as she concentrated on pulling them free without hurting him. She was gentle, and thorough, and her distinctively feminine fragrance hung in the air around him, making the blue of his eyes deepen as he watched her.

She combed the long strands out when she was finished, much as he had done, almost as if she could not help herself. She allowed the black hairs to fall softly to his shoulder and chest, and looked up at him, blinking as she realized just how close she had come while pulling the debris from his ebony tail.

Kouga's expression was inscrutable, the clear blue of his eyes intent as he gazed down at the young onna who drew him in such a surprisingly easy way. Her eyes were wide, the lashes thick around the deeply brown iris that held touches of honey and cinnamon in their depths. Her soft lips were parted, and her breath caught as the blue deepened in his expression. He could tell by her scent that she was not unaffected, and he drew closer, wondering what those soft pink lips might taste like if he were to just brush his mouth across them to sample their very texture…

She trembled, and that was what stopped him cold. She had already experienced far too much at a youkai's hands to ever trust another, and he broke the intensity between them by abruptly rising to his feet.

"We should go." He said, his voice cold.

The girl ducked her head and busied her trembling hands brushing imaginary grass stems from her pants as she got to her feet. A pitiful ploy, it hid nothing. But he turned away from her, his expression wry.

"We should go before the others come looking for us." He said, stepping into the trees, not waiting for her to follow.

"Yes." The girl managed that much, to agree with his words and surprise them both with how steady her voice was, though the confusion and fear in her scent spoke volumes to his ookami senses. The sun had gone behind clouds once more, and the air grew chilly as the green shadows deepened and grayed. She shivered, and Kouga could not honestly say if it was from the air or from him…

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Inuyasha made certain that that damn wolf spent the night on the couch this time, lumpy as it was. He didn't give a rat's (butt) if the damn ookami slept on the stone floor---Kagome would skin him alive if he were to let what had happen this morning happen _again._ Besides, if Kouga was that damn uncomfortable, he had more than enough credits to just go and buy his own damn bed.

Inuyasha couldn't put his finger on it, but he had the sneaking suspicion that something had happened between the strange girl and his ookami friend out there in the woods. They came back, both unusually quiet…well, it was not so unusual for Sango, but Kouga was acting damn weird, just grunting at the hanyou's pointed jibes. He kept looking at the young onna, though he tried to hide it. Kagome, too, had been rather mute, and looked almost guilty as they all sat down to dinner. Inuyasha had gotten fed up with the whole lot of them, and gone to bed, waking only when his wife came in to join him. He had taken out his frustration in some healthy exercise, in which his wife had willingly joined.

He thanked the Stars that he and Kouga had planned on rising early this morning and going for a day-long hunt in the wild forests that surrounded the lonely cabin. It would be good to take out his tensions with some good sport, and he was looking forward to it. Kouga had been right yesterday, damn his unctuous (butt), he should not have missed that stupid bush-tail. He hadn't been out hunting in far too long, and wanted to polish up his skills.

He crept out of the room without waking his wife, who was dead to the world, until _she_ finally chose to wake up of her own accord. He found Kouga waiting for him in the living room, his expression dark and the circles under his eyes telling the story of a night spent uncomfortably tossing and turning.

Inuyasha grinned. Served the wolf right, lumps and all!

Kouga just growled and stomped out the house, picking up the small carry-sack and belt-knives he would need for the day along the way. Inuyasha followed suit, and in the pale dawn-light asked Kouga which way he wanted to start out.

The wolf merely snapped a reply, and Inuyasha demanded, "What the hell is wrong with you this morning, wolf-boy? You're acting like an (butt). More so than usual."

Kouga snapped back, "Do you have to make that damn bed creak all (frag)ing night _long?"_

Inuyasha rounded on him with a growl, only to laugh outright at the wolf's sour expression.

It was priceless.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE_

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

_CHAPTER SEVEN_

"This one…oh, and this one. Do you have it in a size smaller? Hmmm. That's better." Kagome pulled free something else that caught her eye, and turned toward the dressing rooms, where the distinctive, rustling movements behind the concealing curtains had stopped

Putting her hands on her hips as the boutique's helpful attendant carried her latest selections to the waiting rack that hung along side the fitting rooms, Kagome ordered, "Well? Come on out and let me see it."

The curtain shivered, and Sango slid out shyly.

Kagome stared at her critically, frowning. "I don't like it."

Sango blinked.

"It's the color. Doesn't look right." Kagome muttered to herself as she stalked toward the rack and started flicking through the hangers. The boutique was slightly old-fashioned, but then again, what did she expect on a backwater planet like Kyouko? Not that she didn't _like_ Kyouko just the way it was, but it was hardly the epitome of technological civilization that Station Nine was. And, truth be told, she rather found the quaint notion that there was an attendant to point out particular articles and make suggestions charming. Kagome liked feeling the various fabrics, rather than trying to make selections from a vid-screen and wait for them to arrive by mechanized messenger…

Finding what she wanted, she pulled it off the hanger with a triumphant smile. "Here. This should be _much_ better."

"It's blue." Sango said in confusion, looking down at the blue pantsuit she already wore.

"Yes, but this is _ice_ blue, silly, not _bright _blue." Kagome explained, as if Sango should automatically tell the difference.

Sango's brow furrowed.

Kagome let out a hefty sigh. "Just try it on."

As Sango slipped back behind the curtain with the new ensemble, Kagome went back to rummaging through the other garments. Now that she had an idea of Sango's size, she made quick choice of a few everyday items the girl didn't really need to try on. The attendant, a retiring woman with grey streaks in her light brown hair, bowed when Kagome handed over her credit chit.

"I will take these to the counter, miss, and wrap them." The attendant said softly. Kagome nodded distractedly, seeing Sango reemerge from the corner of her eye. She turned with a brilliant smile that had her brown eyes dancing.

"See?" She came to hug her friend, turning Sango to face the mirror.

Sango looked, but saw nothing different. The fabric skimmed over her thin frame, and felt softer to her skin, but clothing had never been more than a necessity. But whatever it was about her reflection in the mirror had Kagome's brown eyes lit up with smug pride.

"Perfect. We'll take _that_ one, I think." Kagome had already darted back to the rack to fish out another outfit, this one in a brilliant shade of eye-popping scarlet that made Sango's mouth fall open in astonishment.

"Kagome-chan, you don't have to…" She demurred, but Kagome wasn't having any of it. Sango had protested before, but Kagome had just ruthlessly thrown aside any excuses the young woman could come up with, even adopting a piteous air of grief, demanding to know why Sango wouldn't accept any gifts from her, as a true friend would. Wasn't she good enough? Sango's protests had crumbled as she rushed to reassure the sweet girl that she hadn't known, dismayed that she had hurt her friend so deeply.

Kagome had barely been able to keep the triumph from her brown eyes as she had graciously forgiven Sango. Before the other girl knew where she was, Kagome had swept her up and into the fitting room, her arms piled high with various articles. Kagome was determined to outfit her friend with a whole new wardrobe, and had promised herself silently to have a bonfire and burn Sango's ugly old coveralls in a farewell funeral pyre.

"I'm your boss." Kagome thrust the red dress into Sango's hands. "Now, do as I say, and get dressing." She pushed Sango toward the curtained alcove.

Sango went, and Kagome sailed off to find some new clothes for herself. Inuyasha would have a fit over the money she was spending, but they could more than afford it, and Kagome thought she might find something…appropriate…to distract her growly hanyou with. Seeing something sheer and silky in the dark shade of emerald green he particularly liked on her, her smile grew almost feral.

_Perfect!_

If _that_ didn't do the trick, than nothing would…

She heard the curtains slide back, and turned again to view Sango's figure. Kagome had been correct, that particular shade of scarlet _was _the same color as the tattooed line above Sango's eyes, but Sango looked a bit overwhelmed at the color as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Kagome pursed her lips. "Maybe you should try on something a little less…loud."

Sango surprised them both by giggling. Kagome went and hugged her, her eyes dancing. She couldn't speak the happy feeling that warmed up in her, seeing how Sango was starting to bloom under her careful guidance.

"Now," she gave the girl a final squeeze, "time to start _really_ shopping."

Sango blinked.

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Hojo was again sitting in the open, at a small eatery and café---this one with the tantalizing brews of various, imported coffees to recommend it---when he spied the two girls he remembered seeing on station Yoro, which orbited above the planet Kyouko like a fourth, metallic moon. Caught by surprise, he barely managed to rise out of his seat before the two, laden with various packages and parcels, disappeared into an impressively sleek and modern hover-car. The quietly expensive vehicle rose and gracefully moved on down the rutted street before it disappeared around a corner, the milling crowds who had shifted aside now moving back to swallow up the space it had occupied.

That particular type of vehicle wasn't much seen in Agariba, which had sprouted up almost overnight around the only planet-side landing facility that allowed both ningen and youkai unrestricted access to Kyouko's surface. Much of Agariba still remained a polyglot of pre-fab plaz-crete and hastily erected buildings. The most frequent mode of transportation, besides using one's own two feet, were the ancient hulks of rentable ground-cars, which demanded too many credits for their relative worth.

The fact that the black-haired women had been picked up by such a vehicle meant that they were important enough to warrant use of that vehicle. And if he had read the identification numbers on the back of the sleek craft correctly, they were or knew _very_ important people. And Hojo was still quite interested in getting to know one of them in particular. He remembered how the quiet girl Sango with the cinnamon-brown eyes had not even spoken to him. He wondered idly what her voice might be like…

He was not without connections of his own. He had arbitrarily dismissed the invitation to the large reception being held tonight, but he might reconsider his decision. It was a rather important affair, and he thought perhaps that the two young women might be in attendance. He had been assured that anyone and everyone who held interest in Yoro and Kyouko had been invited. He might have the chance to finally meet the young onna, and to reiterate his initial interest.

Having made a decision, and knowing he had quite a few things now to do, Hojo abruptly stood and left the café, his untouched drink still steaming gently behind him.

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Kagome settled into the cushioned comfort of an overstuffed chair with a groan as she kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes. "I'm exhausted!" She pronounced, staring around her at the variety of piled purchases with smug satisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to---" Sango began, feeling guilty, but Kagome quickly cut her off with an admonishing wag of her finger in the other girl's direction.

"Enough of that nonsense, Sango! It's not your fault, I'm not tired, _I _was just exaggerating and I want _you_ to quit being so damn apologetic. That's going to be my next project, you know. Now that I have the _outside_ made over, it's time to focus on the _inside."_

Kagome looked downright determined, as if she could single-handedly make Sango over anew. Sango's mouth quirked with humor. She wasn't so sure she wanted that particular experience, but she had been right. Kagome certainly made life _interesting._

"Kagome!"

Both girls jumped as the hanyou's volume bounced around the comfortable sitting room and back into the hall. Rolling her eyes at her mate's callous behavior, Kagome called back, "In here!"

A silver head and two white ears peeked around the archway, quickly followed by an amber smirk and belligerent stance. Inuyasha's gaze took in the virtual mountain of abandoned packages, and a wry twist contorted his firm mouth. "Been busy, haven't you?"

Kagome tried to affect an air of casual dismissal. "Just a bit."

She wasn't fooling any of them.

Inuyasha chose to be gracious, and ignore the piled mountain to flop down on the chair across from his wife with a hefty sigh. "Well, it's a good thing you went and bought out half of Agariba. It means you'll have something decent to wear tonight at Kouga's reception."

"What?" Kagome bolted upright with shock.

"You heard me, wench." Inuyasha said with a toothy yawn, stretching his arms over his head. His back popped, and his ears twitched as he looked smug at having discomfited his wife.

Sango, who had leaned against a small table behind Kagome's chair as Inuyasha entered the room, looked from one to the other in confusion. What had Inuyasha said that had Kagome so worked up?

"But, Inuyasha! I didn't buy anything _nice."_ Kagome protested. "I wasn't expecting that we'd be going anywhere fancy."

"Then wear something you already have." The hanyou's reply was caustic. "Kami knows you own enough clothing."

"But not anything _nice_…" Kagome paused, looking thoughtful as she considered her extensive wardrobe, much of which she had brought along on this little excursion to the port-city of Agariba. Buying new clothes was one of her few weaknesses, and having left quite a sizeable quantity back on Thetis due to the strict baggage restrictions onboard the _Eminence_ (or any space-faring vessel, for that matter, where space was at a premium) had been one of her few true regrets over leaving her homeworld. Still, she might have brought a few things with her that just might work…

Inuyasha snorted, seeing that gleam deep in his wife's mild brown eyes. Knowing that Kagome would take care of it, he bounced to his feet. "Dinner's at nine, the reception's going to be fashionably late. Whatever. I have a (spit) load of crap to do before then, so I'll meet you in the foyer downstairs at eight-thirty. 'Kay?"

He bent over his wife and snagged a kiss, though she waved at him with a distracted air. Rolling his eyes, he stalked from the room, leaving Sango to stir uneasily. She didn't want Kagome to feel embarrassed by the fact that the order disguised as an invitation didn't include her. It looked as if Kagome had more than enough on her mind, and Sango wasn't averse to making herself scarce.

"Kagome-chan, I can have dinner in my room. You have a lot to do, and I would only be in the way…" Sango began inching toward the archway that opened the little sitting area to their impressive suite of rooms.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked, and then her brown eyes focused. "What are you talking about?"

Sango inched closer to the door, and Kagome was out of her seat in a flash. "Where do you think you're going? You don't think I'm going to this stupid thing _alone_, do you? Why, I won't know anyone there!"

"Inuyasha…" Sango offered lamely, but Kagome rolled her eyes. Both mates seemed quite experienced with that particular trick, and Sango wondered distractedly who had picked it up from whom.

"Look, if I have to get rigged out and fancified for this reception thing, than so will you." Kagome let out a long-suffering sigh, though her eyes gleamed with excitement. She didn't seem as put-out by Inuyasha's abrupt announcement as she wanted Sango to believe. "Besides, m'dear, I have the _perfect_ dress for you…"

Sango winced. She had already been roped into more clothing than she had ever considered possible, but that determined look was back in Kagome's eye, and she knew from past experience how little her protest would do against the rock of Kagome's determination.

She was in for it.

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"There." Kagome stepped back to examine her handiwork, and she grinned with keen satisfaction. "_That_ did it, Sango-chan."

Laying the curler down on the counter, Kagome grabbed the girl's white hand in hers and tugged her around to face the mirror, an echo of countless times from earlier that morning. But Sango's eyes widened, and even she had to catch her breath in surprised amazement.

She didn't recognize the woman who stared back at her. Through the artful use of some discreet cosmetics, Kagome had managed to hide the thinness of her features and emphasize the creamy pallor of her skin. Her thick lashes were inky circles around her eyes, making the scarlet line of her tattooed lids more of a casual choice than an odd discrepancy.

Kagome had pulled her hair back in a loose, high ponytail, but had painstakingly curled each strand so that it hung thick and wavy down her back---which had more of a purpose than just an easy way to look elegantly disarrayed. The 'dress' Kagome had had in mind was cut quite low, in both front and back, held to the shoulders by the thinnest suggestion of a strap, and when Sango had demurred with acute embarrassment, Kagome had first thought that it was simple modesty.

But when Sango had reluctantly tried on the gown, and Kagome had seen the cause of Sango's anxiety, she had felt awful for being so insistent. But nothing else would fit Sango's thinner frame without looking like a baggy afterthought, and Kagome had been inspired. With a loose, black wrap Kagome had just purchased for herself (adoring the little jet beads that had been hand-embroidered along the edge), and the girl's ebony hair hanging thick and wild down her back, it hid any evidence of a scar on the milky skin along the arch of her spine.

"You know, a necklace would be perfect for the V-neck line of that dress." Kagome said wistfully as she rummaged around in her rather empty jewelry box.

Kagome was not one for flashy jewels, but she wished she had something better to offer Sango than a pair of simple black beaded earrings. But Sango said softly, her voice thick with emotion, "Kagome-chan, you have already done too much, and we both know it."

Kagome just _hmphed_ under her breath, but she spontaneously hugged the other girl.Turning so that they both faced the mirror, Kagome allowed herself a smug smile of conceit. "I think we are both looking quite exceptional tonight, Sango-chan. We'll be turning heads."

The reflection in the glassy surface did not deny the truth. Attired in a deceptively simple turquoise-blue gown that belted one shoulder and ignored the other to fall in soft, silky folds to her knees, Kagome felt her breath catch, remembering the last time she had worn this particular gown. It had been on her rather hurried wedding day, and she had found and bought the article with precisely that fact in mind, though it was hardly a _traditional_ wedding robe. But it had been perfect, and a perfect match for the simple, expensively rare carved-turquoise bracelets Inuyasha had given her on their first dinner-date, when she had worn the gown Sango now wore, to meet her mate's austerely elegant brother, Sesshoumaru.

Kagome touched fingers to her hair, which hung straight and silky down her shoulders and back, the front pulled up and away from her brow with a simple turquoise clasp that Inuyasha had given her a few weeks later. That was when he had first told her he loved her, and she was almost dreamy with memories of those earlier days.

"Kagome?" Sango broke into her reverie, and Kagome nearly blushed. But practicality overcame reminiscence, and Kagome broke away to pounce on a particular package that she was now happy she had had the foresight to buy. Sango stared at her in confusion as Kagome tore away the careful paper wrapping to pull out a pair of black sandals, strappy and heeled and perfect for this evening.

Kagome had a mountain of shoes, but none of them would have fit Sango's surprisingly tiny feet. Kagome already had a pair of smart heels to wear with her turquoise ensemble, but Sango had nothing but a pair of worn, rubber-soled deck shoes and some rather sturdy boots Kagome had bought for her with the thought of just how fond Sango was for tromping around the woods surrounding their cabin---which she missed even now with a pang at the thought of her cozy new home.

"I hope Inuyasha's business is done soon." Kagome said wistfully as she placed the sandals in Sango's hands.

"Kagome, you shouldn't have---" Sango began, flushing with guilty gratitude.

Kagome snapped out of her idle thoughts. With a fierce frown, she admonished, "I've already told you, Sango-chan, you can't stop me, and if you keep protesting, I will go and---"

The threat was cut off by a discreet tap at her door---one of the hotel staff (probably sent by an annoyed Inuyasha) reminding her that time was a'wasting. With her typically mercurial changes of mood and focus, Kagome let out an _"eek!"_ of surprise.

"Hurry up, Sango, and put these on. I hadn't realized just how late it was. Inuyasha's going to kill me…" Kagome's voice grew muffled as she dove for her suitcase, pulling out her shoes and shoving them on her feet. Sweeping up a pale blue scarf to use as a wrap, she barely gave Sango any time to adjust her own beaded wrap before she wrenched open the door, this one the strangest yet to her experience, having to open sideways and swinging back on one pivotal access. It would be dangerous for the unwary…

The servant, clad in the same discreet dark-grey uniform as all the rest of the opulent hotel's staff, bowed and motioned for the two women to precede him. The thick carpeting that covered the halls silenced their footfalls, which tapped loudly as they were directed toward the huge marble staircase that dominated the hotel's foyer. Inuyasha stood waiting at the bottom, impatience oozing out of every strong line of him. Sensing her presence in that knacky way he had, her hanyou mate abruptly turned.

And frankly stared.

The look in his golden-amber eyes was enough to make Kagome's blood sing, and her cheeks flushed prettily as she daintily curtsied to her speechless mate.

Inuyasha, clad in the violently red haori and hakama that was his sneer at a traditional noble's attire, bound up the marble steps with youkai-speed, sweeping Kagome up in his arms to give her such a hungry kiss that it had the hotel staff grinning. He finally let her go, though he kept one arm possessively curled around her thin waist as she tried to recover both breath and composure---though the heated blush that now stained her cheeks made _that_ a lost cause.

Sango smiled softly, and Inuyasha's eyes glinted as he gave the other girl the once-over. "Looking good." He pronounced with a smirk.

It was Sango's turn to blush, though she bowed her head in graceful acknowledgement of the hanyou's sincerely simple compliment. With considerably more poise than Kagome could summon right now, she took the hanyou's offered arm, her fingers curling lightly over the draping red silk of his sleeve.

Inuyasha nuzzled his lips against Kagome's ear, lightly nipping her creamy throat. "You are beautiful, beloved." He said, making her glow with love for him. Inuyasha might be a barbarous oaf, but he definitely knew how to make her irritation with him melt away.

But then he could also summon it right back.

"Damn, but you took forever…"

Kagome's look was murderous as he hauled the two women behind him, swaggering with the admiring glances sent their way. Kagome had a sudden desire to clout him over his silver head, but he chuckled, telling her that he knew her thoughts. She snuggled closer to him with a giggle as he led them from the tiled foyer toward the back of the sprawling hotel, where the faint murmuring of many voices speaking quietly soon eclipsed even Inuyasha's growl at her giggling dismissal.

A pair of unobtrusive servants stood guard over a pair of impressively carved doors, and with a bow, they swung them open to emit the threesome into a world of light and elegance that Kagome had rarely seen and never aspired to. The murmur of lowered conversation overwhelmed her at first, and from Sango's wide eyes, she wasn't the only one.Perfume, rising from both flowers and people, wafted over the room and the faint strains of soothing music was accompanied by the humming buzz of hundreds of people speaking all at once. It took Kagome a few minutes to gain her bearings, and by then they were already being accosted by the first in a long line of strange people and strange faces in a stunning variety of formal dress and aphoristic costume.

Inuyasha kept his replies short and terse to the eager, almost obsequious greetings. He steered them across the open area with surprising finesse, growling impatiently under his breath at the curious glances sent their way.

"Damn vultures." He groused, adroitly avoiding yet another sycophant eager to make their acquaintance. He finally found what he wanted, a relatively quiet spot in the milling noise around them. Gallantly seating both women before taking the outside chair around the small table for himself, he turned it so that he could watch both the small alcove and their surroundings with a delightfully protective air.

Kagome finally found her bearings, and the overwhelming scene settled into almost a dancing like pattern as she watched the people around her weave in and out, bowing and scraping to those who seemed to be more powerful in some way. Even though it appeared as if everyone was huddled together in this giant room with it splendidly appointed accouterments, she was able to see that it was rare for the youkai and ningen in the room to mingle.They kept to their own sides, almost like antagonists, the youkai nobles sneering, their human counterparts wary and almost overly demonstrative, as if making up for their nervousness with a pompous show of noisy bravado.

While the men were arrayed in somber colors and discreetly tailored uniforms, the youkai lords seemed a riot of color and dazzling designs. Most youkai preferred the traditional dress of silk kimono and embroidered patterns, each significant in some way to the wearer. The women present wore a variety, from the modish to the outrageous, the worst being a rather fat woman in a scarlet kimono-like gown. Her round face was topped by an even rounder turban, whose center was engulfed by a giant ruby that sparkled vulgar ostentation. A wispy feather of impressive height and hideously violet hue crowned the turban, clashing with the red of her cheeks and the red of her robes.

"Loud, isn't it?" She whispered to Sango, who started in surprise, and then smiled faintly as Kagome waved in the fat woman's direction. The feather waved back, the turban bobbing as the woman nodded vigorously to the rather small, dapper man at her side.

Inuyasha overheard her whisper, and grinned. "That's Madam Rosa, who owns some rather lucrative brothels in both Agariba and on Yorokuzo Station."

"What?" Kagome gasped, staring at the large woman with renewed fascination, horrified at the notion that such a creature could be in attendance at such a fancy party. She could tell that anyone who was anyone had been invited to this little get-together, and was shocked that the owner of a whorehouse would be part of what amounted to 'polite' society on Kyouko.

"Don't underestimate her, Kagome. She's not as silly as she looks. She's made quite a neat little stash for herself on Yoro. She has a smart head for business, and I've been thinking of investing in some of her…uh…ventures." Inuyasha replied with a thoughtful gleam in his amber eyes.

Kagome glared. "Don't you dare! If you---"

But she stopped when she realized that he was laughing at her, his chuckle making her shake her head at him and smack his arm, which he skillfully dodged, having so much practice at it in the past. Sango smiled at them, easing back into her chair, as the atmosphere became a little more relaxed with the familiar by-play between them.

"Excuse me, am I intruding?"

All three stiffened, and Kagome's eyes widened as she recognized the handsome young man they had met on Yoro. The dark blue eyes were approving as he looked at Sango, his manner earnest and endearingly sweet and charming.

Kagome stopped Inuyasha's reactive growl with a light, warning hand on his arm. The hanyou shut up, but he sat back in his chair, his arms crossed and his manner anything _but_ charming. Banned from protesting by his wife's whim, he settled for glaring. The man appeared not to notice---though his tensed shoulders testified that he did.Kagome was impressed with how polite he was, and how his attention was completely directed on Sango, which thrilled and flattered Kagome no end.

Not that Sango seemed at all appreciativeIn fact, she looked distinctly nervous, but Kagome put it down to the fact that Sango had probably had little exposure to a man's simple admiration.

"Why, Mr. Gentry! I'm surprised to see you here! I thought you were on Yoro." Kagome said brightly.

The handsome man, clad in a dark blue uniform of elegantly simple cut, bowed. "I appreciate the fact that you remember me, Kagome."

"That's _Mrs._ Taisho." Inuyasha bit out, much to Kagome's chagrin. She discreetly jabbed an elbow into her unrepentant mate's ribs, which he took with a grunt and ambered glare in her direction.

"You remember Sango, don't you, Mr. Gentry?" Kagome leaned forward. Sango shot her a wary glance, but the man did not seem to notice.

"I do." The man softly picked up one of Sango's hands in his, and bowed again, his gaze fervent, his look appealingly endearing to Kagome's mind. He placed a light kiss on the back of her hand, and Sango stirred uncomfortably. Not unaware of the girl's embarrassment, Hojo let her fingers go to bow once more in mute contrition

"I apologize, Miss Sango. I can only say that I have been desiring to see you again. We hardly had any time to talk the last time we met…" Hojo's voice trailed off with a hopeful air.

Kagome was quick to take the hint. "Why don't you join---" She jumped as Inuyasha's sharp elbow found her ribs. "Ow!"

Glaring at her mate, who gave her an innocently golden look in return, she determined to win the silent argument. Taking sudden inspiration from the faint strains of music she heard in the sudden lull of quiet conversation around them, Kagome sat forward and said brightly, "Why, I think they are starting a waltz. Perhaps Sango would like to dance, Mr. Gentry."

The dark blue eyes lit up with approval for the idea. Extending his arm with a handsome smile, he made yet another graceful bow. "I'd be delighted. Would you, miss?"

Sango stirred, starting to demur, but Kagome ruthlessly overrode her friend's reserve. "She would be happy to!"

Kagome added a helpful kick to Sango's chair, and Sango reluctantly rose. The deep V of her gown did not hide the flutter of her quickening heartbeat, or the nervous rise of her breasts as her breath quickened. Hojo's smile was encouragingly solicitous, though his eyes darkened with appreciation as he stared down at her. Clasping her small hand in his, he drew her into the parting crowds as the dance floor was cleared for those couples who wished to partake of the enchanting music.

"Wasn't he just sweet?" Kagome sighed as the couple disappeared, her chin on her hands as she gazed dreamily after them.

Inuyasha scowled.

"What's wrong with you?" Kagome turned on him with a scowl of her own. "What do you have against that guy?"

"Nothing I can put a claw on." Inuyasha drained his glass, which he had pulled from a tray offered by one of the hotel's efficient staff. "I just don't like him."

"You never like anyone." Kagome said in exasperation. _That_ was hardly an excuse for Inuyasha's rude behavior.

"Whatever." Inuyasha abruptly stood. "Come on, wench. You won't let up until I distract you with something else. Let's dance."

Kagome wasn't one to let such a rare opportunity pass her by. Getting quickly to her feet, she followed her mate's good suggestion.

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He held her rather a little too close for comfort, and Sango tried discreetly to put some distance between them. But the dance floor was crowded, and she blushed as she bumped into someone, murmuring an apology to the offended woman's glare. Her dance partner took the opportunity of her embarrassed distraction to pull her even closer to him, the warm, dry hand on the lower of her back firm, anchoring her to his side.

Sango fought back a faint sense of feeling trapped, and tried to focus on what he was saying. With the low heels of her sandals, he was only a few inches taller than her, and she dropped her brown eyes from the dark blue of his. He was charming, and solicitous, but she still did not like the feel of his hands on her skin, even though she could not complain that he was treating her with anything other than courtesy, even if he was a tad too familiar.

"I've been wanting to speak with you, Miss Jennar." He said earnestly, skillfully sweeping her around another couple. Sango was surprised that she knew the simple steps of the dance, though it felt more of an echo of something else she remembered rather than the prosaic footsteps of the waltz's routine. Whatever else this man was, he had easy rhythm and an almost sinuous grace.

"I would like to think we have much in common, Sango. We are both here, lone humans in a youkai world." His grip, if anything, became more possessive, and his blue eyes turned almost soulful. "I was enchanted the first time I laid eyes on you. You captured me with your beauty…"

Sango stirred uneasily with his words. _Captured…_

Sensing her sudden tension, Hojo relaxed his hold, and Sango hastily took advantage of it, not caring if she again bumped into another couple. With an overwhelming desire to flee the avid young man's presence, she tried to politely back away.

But Hojo kept her small hand in his, and he kept on holding it, though she tugged lightly. His dark blue eyes were confused and slightly hurt. "I apologize, Miss Jennar, if I have some how offended you. I wish only the chance to get to know you better. Please forgive my uncouth behavior. I can hardly believe how boorish I have been. I can only say that there is something that tells me that you and I are linked somehow, perhaps through destiny."

He tried to draw her close once more, and Sango did not try to hide the fact that she now wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps he was only exaggerating, but she didn't like the intensity of his speech, or the nearly ardent gleam in his dark blue eyes. She didn't trust it, and wrenching her fingers out of his, she abruptly turned to put as much distance between them as she could, blindly seeking escape from his disturbing presence.

But she was captured against a hard chest, strong hands curling over her upper arms in an eerily familiar grip. Looking up with a gasp of surprise, Sango breathed his name in a sigh of mingled worry and relief.

"Kouga."

The clear blue eyes stared down into hers, and Sango flushed at the look in them as his gaze wandered down to the deep V of her revealing black gown, her heart speeding up and her breath coming short in quite a different way now.

"Excuse me, sir!" Hojo's voice rose behind her shoulder and Kouga's grip on her arms tightened once before immediately gentling at her nervous surprise.

A black brow rose, almost elegantly arched. Sango couldn't turn away from staring up at him, though his attention was now for the handsome young man who protested the youkai lord's arbitrary usurpation of her person.

"I demand that you let the onna go, and right this minute!" The command drew gasps around them, as people turned to stare and recognized just _who_ Kouga was. Kouga seemed more amused than anything else as Hojo stirred behind her, possibly recognizing the ookami now, as there was a mumbled apology.

"Anything else?" Kouga's voice was deep and biting. Sango shivered, suddenly glad that she had never been on the receiving end of the youkai's anger.

Another mumble, and then Kouga's attention was back, and Sango shivered, this time with the strange sensations that flooded through her body, leaving her knees strangely weak and her breath come faint even as her heart sped up and her skin tingled from the gentle but firm touch of his claws against her skin.

"Are you feeling all right?" Kouga asked, his voice now sharp with concern.

Sango made a slight movement, an almost-shrug of her shoulders. "I feel a little faint." She whispered.

"Come. You need to sit down." Abruptly turning, the ookami lord let her go, though he caught her elbow, where the beaded silk wrap curled around it, in the cup of one palm, and easily steered his way through the crowded floor, his forbidding gaze keeping the assiduous at bay as he pulled her along.

Feeling grateful, Sango meekly followed until she realized that Kouga had returned her to the small alcove Inuyasha had commandeered for their use. Like the hanyou, the ookami helped Sango to sit in the protected corner before assuming a naturally guarding position by taking the outer seat next to hers.

Kouga jerked his head, and an attendant was there immediately, offering his tray of refreshments. Commandeering glasses, the youkai set one in front of Sango. Surprised to find it was water and not wine, she sipped gratefully and thanked him softly.

"Who was that?" His icy blue eyes were penetrating.

"Just a man." Sango replied, another shrug shivering the beaded wrap from her shoulders. It slipped down her back with a slither of silk, and she let the ends fall as she relaxed into her cushioned seat. "Kagome and I met him on Yoro, and he asked me to dance."

Kouga pressed, though Sango really didn't want to talk about Hojo. "You didn't look like you wanted to dance."

"No, I…" She stopped, looking down at her glass, which she turned slowly in her fingers, noting how the light danced in the cut crystal with distraction.

"Did he say something to make you…uncomfortable?" There was a growl low in the ookami's deep voice, and Sango looked up to meet his blue eyes, which were faintly misted with crimson light.

"No…I just…don't like him." Sango replied, regretting her honesty and thinking she sounded uncommonly silly. But Kouga seemed satisfied with her answer, the crimson mist receding from his blue eyesand he even smiled wryly as their friends returned, an insult ready on the hanyou's smirk.

"Quite a show, wolf-boy. Got the whole room buzzing." Straddling a chair, Inuyasha grinned, fangs flashing.

Sango flushed with embarrassment even as Kouga sat back and eyed the hanyou with an arched brow. "Should I care, mutt-face?"

Kagome patted Sango's bare shoulder before primly taking her seat. "Inuyasha, you're an idiot."

Her mate turned his head, growling, but Kagome just smiled serenely, not caring to explain. Sango felt guilty, though Kagome had often called her mate far worse. She dropped her eyes, and played with her empty glass.

Kouga leaned across the table, blue eyes glinting, and said succinctly, "Inuyasha, you _are_ an idiot."

Inuyasha growled, and Kagome giggled. The air of tension melted away as the hanyou fired back a return volley at the ookami lord. With easy familiarity, the two fell to bickering, and if Sango still felt oddly shy, she was the only one.

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Ayame had watched that charming little scene unfold almost right in front of her, and her lips thinned as she remembered how Kouga had grabbed at the ugly little onna and march-stepped her back across the room amid the avidly speculative looks of the other guests. Quite a few of them, who had spied her own bee-lined march across the room to intercept Kouga---before he had decided to go and play the idiot over a stupid ningen girl---had smirked in her direction, the smug superiority in their fake smiles making her want to claw something…anything…though that ugly little onna in the black dress would do for starters...

Making a none-too-gracious exit, the red-haired youkai melted back into the crowd of old greybeards who refused to have any part of the dancing going on in the center of the ballroom. They, instead, chose to look down their long ookami noses at the younger youkai who had taken their partners to dance among the ningen, uncaring of their place in the world, and that mixing with ningen scum was beneath their notice---or should have been.

Ayame ignored the ookami around her, for once not caring how admiring their glances were. She felt forgotten and ignored, and did not like the sour taste in the back of her mouth at the mockery of her blighted ambitions. Grabbing a delicate goblet from the nearest tray, she gulped down the mild wine and reached for another.

"Don't act the fool." Her grandfather's voice cut in, sharp with reprimand.

Ayame sneered, her green eyes flashing crimson. The older ookami, proudly clad in house-colors of navy and gold, stared her down, and Ayame looked away, flushing.

"You look like a harlot." The disgust in the youkai's voice made the younger female stiffen, and her head came up with defiance. She knew how beautiful she was, and she knew how best to display her perfect body to the best advantage. The old bastard would have her wear the suffocating layers of a noble lady's traditional kimono, and nothing else, the close-minded tyrant.

She deliberately drained her second glass, her green eyes sparkling with anger. The older ookami showed his distaste with a faint, wry twist of his puckered old mouth. "Go right ahead, girl, if you feel the need to make a spectacle of yourself."

The accusation left unspoken was the fact that she had already more than made a spectacle of herself, and not only for chasing after Kouga around the crowded ballroom tonight, but for flamboyantly chasing after him for the past few months like a lowly bitch in heat. Her grandfather had told her rather contemptuously that Lord Kouga was not to be won in the bedroom, no matter how skilled the occupant. Ayame had doubled her resolve to become Kouga's lady in troth, just to see that mangy old bastard's shock when she looked down her long nose at _him_.

And everything was going according to Ayame's careful plan. Kouga, though not as easily manipulated as she had expected, was _hers_, and she had had a taste of how life would be once she wore his signet on her finger as his wife.

But since that disgusting half-demon cur and his ugly ningen mate had come to Yoro, Kouga had seemed to change almost overnight. Not content to hang around his own superior kind, he actually sought out the hanyou dog and his human bitch of a wife as if he _liked_ their filthy, contaminating presence. And look how they had infected him! Kouga had dismissed _her,_ Ayame, with no reason whatsoever, to take up with some ugly stick of a girl with sallow skin and mud-colored eyeballs.

It was utterly revolting! How dare an ookami lord of the old blood flout tradition to consort with such…such…_filth_.

Her grandfather was nattering on at her, but Ayame wasn't paying attention. The old fool was always mumbling about something just to irritate her. Ayame's green eyes narrowed as she spied the object of her wrath withdrawing from the small table where she sat with the ookami lord, his half-breed dog and the dog's human bitch. The others hardly noticed, talking as they were to a small group of fawning ningen and youkai supplicants, which included that ridiculous fat woman in the ugly red dress. The large ruby pinned to her turban was an insult to ookami sensibilities. A mere ningen, especially such a _disgusting_ figure as that, should never have owned such a beautiful gem. Ayame would have done its sparkling crimson facets _far_ more justice.

Fingering the heavy blue sapphire that hung between her breasts, Ayame noted how the girl slipped out the open doors to the garden verandah beyond. Quite a few people were taking a stroll out in the gardens, enjoying the fresh air or using the hint of an excuse for some privacy out there among the beautifully manicured lawns.

Absently handing her empty glass to her scowling grandfather, Ayame sailed across the room, a renewed purpose in her dark green eyes.

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Sango inhaled the unclouded air with a deep sigh. Although it was chilly out here, and she had forgotten her silk wrap as she slipped away from the table, she felt a little revived by the clean air that whispered across the cultivated gardens below. She had turned away from the inviting paths, which were lit in welcome for the guests who lingered there, idly chatting.Seeking solitude, she slipped along the edge of the wide terrace until she came to the far corner where the ornately carved stone railing curved back around to meet the far edge of the large, marble-pillared mansion.Kagome had giggled that the expansive hotel with its wide-swept wings and its manicured magnificence reminded her of some old trashy vid-drama of the South, whatever and wherever that was…

This far, the buzz of conversation and music was only a faint murmur. Louder were the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees and the bubbling splash of a fountain somewhere beneath her. Wide windows allowed a glow of light to spill across the wide porch, but here she felt safe in the shadows.

Having been overwhelmed by the presence of so many people, all whom had stared at her with rank curiosity in their avid eyes, Sango felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her spirit. Taking a second, deeper breath and closing her eyes, she allowed the murmuring silence to close in around her.

"Did you (shag) him?"

Sango's eyes flew open, and she whirled around to face the woman who snarled at her with unfeigned hostility etched in every ounce of her almost too-perfect beauty.

"Who are you?" Sango stepped back from the red flash in the female youkai's eyes. She felt the hard edge of the stone balustrade bump her back, and she straightened, somehow remembering (without recalling the source) that the smell of her fear would only feed the youkai's excited emotions.

"You're an ugly, thin little thing. I don't know what he sees in you. Perhaps you have some disgusting little ningen trick that makes him howl. Maybe he just likes to take trash to his bed once in awhile. The thought is almost novel. Not to worry, though---his interest can't last."

"I don't know what---"

"Don't you?" The green eyes narrowed over the sneer that marred the full, red lips. The youkai, clad in white, wore a series of filmy scarves that did little to hide her perfect skin or her perfect curves. Her clothing was as much of a statement as the house-colors her kimono-clad brethren wore. The fact that the female ookami could flaunt her perfect body in such a way meant that she knew how to use that body as a weapon in itself, and had the confidence not to care who knew it.

"You are a stupid little slut, aren't you? Perhaps _that_ is your appeal to him." At Sango's confusion, the ookami sneered. "Lord Kouga, you idiot. I saw how you threw yourself at him. Don't think that you could ever be more than just a passing fancy for him. First of all, you're only a ningen, and an ugly one at that. Secondly, you're a---"

The youkai stopped, her nose twitching. Her green eyes blazed, and she spat in a final parting hiss before whirling away in a cloud of airy white, "He might (shag) you, you little whore, but that's _all_ you'll ever be to him. And when he's done, _I_ will be there to claim him once more as my mate. Remember that, you skinny little slut!"

Sango sank back against the stone behind her, shocked at the youkai's words. So _that_ was why everyone was staring at her with such speculation. They thought Kouga, Lord of his Clan, was…and she…and that they were…

_'Little whore…'_

The red-haired youkai's spiteful voice was replaced by the taunting purr of another, and Sango turned around to clutch at the stone railing with a soft, gasping sob as the velvety voice poured in around her as black memories rose up to drown her in remembered pain and terror.

_**'My**_ _little whore…'_

_No…_

She felt claws on her bare shoulder, and Sango spun with a cry, seeking escape from the dark lord's grasp. But the grip hardened, and she was shaken gently.

"Sango! It's me, Kouga!" His voice was harsh, but it broke through her dark terror, and she fell against his chest, feeling her body shudder convulsively as the tears ran down her face. Strong arms wrapped around her and held her close, safe and protected as she had not been since she was a young child, and she heard his voice, gentle now, telling her to let it out. To let it all out.

She did not know how long they stood there, Kouga's arms wrapped around her, his claws tenderly combing through the wavy length of her hair as she softly sobbed out her litany of pain against the warm blue silk of his kimono. It felt as if she had cried forever, and that her heart had been wrenched tight into her chest. But, somehow, with the release of her tears, she had somehow released the dagger-sharp pain from her dark memories, and she felt oddly empty as her sobs quieted and her tears slowly dried.

It felt wonderful, to feel the strong comfort of his arms around her, holding her, supporting her, asking nothing of her in return but to give up her pain to him. But it was not in her to depend on another when she should only depend on herself. And as she grew calm enough to again see clearly, the female youkai's bitter words echoed in her mind, and she stiffened.

_'I saw how you threw yourself at him…'_

If she hadn't before, she certainly was now! And Sango could not bear for Kouga to think that she…would ever think of her as…as Naraku had.

A whore.

She put distance between them, feeling shame for her momentary lapse, for the weakness of spirit he must despise in her. Youkai, especially ookami, were so strong…

Kouga let her go, but his blue eyes narrowed as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to do that to you. Please forgive me."

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His claws reached out and took a firm hold of her chin, which he pulled up so he could stare into her reddened eyes. She flinched from the icy blue intensity of his gaze, but his whisper was warmth itself as it roughened with strong, unnamable emotions. "There is nothing to forgive, Sango."

"I…" She jerked her chin away, and turned her back to him. Kouga growled, but he did not think she would know what that meant to an ookami. Turning one's back on a pack-brother was an insult, stabbing far deeper than he could believe. But Sango was only an onna, she could not understand.

He growled his irritation, and the girl shied away, though she tried to hide it with a mask of nonchalance that both knew was mere mockery. He didn't understand her, and could feel the faint stirrings of instinctive anger mist his eyes in crimson. She would deny him, alpha of his pack, lord of his Clan…

He was youkai, not some pathetic excuse for a man. His ookami nature surged, and he reached out to grab her, to make her admit that she needed him, needed his strength and his comfort, his rule and his dominion…

His outstretched claws paused mere inches from her shoulder as he froze, seeing the stark evidence of what youkai dominance had brought her already. The chilling breeze had risen, and a gust of wind had set the long curling waves of her hair dancing. He could feel his own long tail tugging at the simple strap that bound it back, but his eyes were riveted to the ugly scar in the middle of her back.

The crimson in his gaze died, and the ice-blue color of his eyes glowed as he followed the almost star-shaped lines that detailed her dark struggle to him far more than even her tears had done. That wound would have killed many a lesser spirit than hers, and he felt a surge of emotion that had him reaching out now, with a gentle touch, to trace the evidence of her inner strength with a single claw, following the arch of her spine down and then back up to her left shoulder.

Sango had stiffened with a hissed cry as she felt his touch burning a line of remembrance across her white flesh, and she bowed her head in shame, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. He could smell the salty tang on the air, and knew that she shivered with more than the chilling bite of the night air.

"Steel…" He murmured, his voice harsh and deep with pride for this simple girl who could overcome the dark torment of her past to seek a new life for herself and the privilege of knowing such strength, such spirit, and such innocence.

"Please…" She whispered, feeling anything but strong.

Both hands came to settle gently on her bared shoulders in silent homage. She shivered under his touch, and Kouga deliberately chose to misconstrue her trembling. "Are you cold?"

"A little." She admitted reluctantly, and Kouga quickly slipped off his outer kimono so that he could envelop her in the silken folds, the soft fabric warmed by its contact with his skin. Sango clutched the draping material, drawing the edges closed over her chest, and finally turning back around to thank him, her brown eyes dark with wrung emotions.

Kouga could not help reaching out to wipe his thumb gently across the evidence of her tears. Stirred by deep emotions, and knowing how she felt ashamed for those same tears, he said softly, reverently, "You, little onna, are beauty and strength and spirit and steel to shame a mere youkai."

Shock flickered in her cinnamoned eyes, and she shook her head in mute denial. "You're wrong, Kouga."

"Am I?" He smiled, his eyes intense. "You are strong, little Sango."

"No." She said, bowing her head and tightening the pale blue cloth around her hunched shoulders.

"You lie." He said.

"You cannot understand…" She whispered to her feet.

"No, I cannot." He admitted, placing his palms gently on her shoulders to shake her lightly. "But I know what strength lies within you, Sango."

"Strength?" Her head came up, her eyes wide.

"Yes, strength." His voice was firm.

"But I was too weak to stop him, too weak to---"

"That is but strength of arm, and any ookami can be felled by a larger foe. What I speak of is strength of spirit, and the strength you have to endure…"

And he could not help it, her eyes were so wide and such deep pools of dark allure, and his claws had already tightened on her shoulders, to make her understand just how truly strong she was. The emotions and admiration that churned inside of him sought outlet, and he drew her close, his head lowering to touch those soft lips he had wondered about often enough.

For a moment, she was caught by surprise, but he was not new to this game, and he used every skill and charm he had in his possession to take the fear from her, using the gentle caress of his mouth to tell her what his body already knew…that she was his, that this was what he had wanted and desired, how much he would worship her with body, mind and soul if she would just allow it…

She melted beneath the sensual onslaught, her body fitting to his like they had been made one. With a low growl of hunger, he deepened the kiss, losing himself as she tentatively returned his heated caresses with shy response. His claws swept over her shoulders so that he held her closer, one hand tangling in the long waves of her heavy tresses, the other making soothing circles down her lower back, until he gently pressed her against him, wanting to feel her warmth surround his need…

But she broke away, her fear rising as she felt the evidence of his hunger for her. With a small cry, she pushed away from him, and he let her go, though his first instinct was to grab her and make her submit, he would prove to her that her fear was unfounded, that there was more to love-making than her past experiences in terror and pain. But therein lay the cause of her fear, and he fought the ookami nature that rose in crimsoning response to her sudden withdrawal.

By the time he had contained his more primitive nature beneath his fierce will, Sango had already stepped back, her head shaking so that the feathering bangs along her cheek whorled with the movement. "This is not right, Kouga."

"Sango…" Kouga took a step toward her, but stopped when she shrank back.

"It is not only that, my lord. We are too different." She deliberately used the title of respect to call him to his senses, to delineate the differences between them of caste, of specie, of nature.

Like he could give a good gawd damn. He growled, meaning it.

Sango's eyes were dark and unfathomable.

"You are youkai, and I…I am a taijiya."

He froze at the word, though confusion washed her deep brown eyes with cinnamon, as if she was surprised by the word as well. But when she turned and fled, he did not follow.

_Taijiya._


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE_

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

_CHAPTER EIGHT_

The beautiful youkai feigned disinterest, but her red eyes, half-lidded with pretended boredom, focused on the psy-medic's oral synopsis of what the grave doctor referred to as the 'subject'.

Kagura had an acute interest in this particular subject of Dr. Higurashi's, but it would never do to let anyone else know that. From childhood, Kagura had been rigorously trained in the subtle manipulations of the GameHer father, Lord Naraku, had been an aggressive player of the youkai's greatest sport.Some of his long-laid plots were openly applauded, though many also believed his manner of retribution shockingly crass and his personal tastes almost humanly base. His well-known fascination for the tenets of the Marquis de Sade were held in aloof, often scandalized contempt by the other youkai nobility of his caste.

"With continued application of Alteration's basic concepts and criteria, I foresee that the subject's psychological wavering can again be controlled, and that her almost childlike behavior restrained. This small incident of independent initiative can be repressed, and her natural tendencies toward violence suppressed."

"Perhaps we should not suppress her nature." Another doctor, one of several who were attending this meeting, argued. "From what I understand..." Here he paused to flick though his notes, "the subject may have need for those…ah…tendencies."

"Need?" Dr. Kikyou Higurashi raised a skeptical brow. She was a coldly beautiful woman for her kind. Kagura could almost admire the amount of self-control and aloof distance the austere woman cloaked herself with.

The doctor coughed, put off by the mild sarcasm in Dr. Higurashi's quiet voice.

Neatly played. Kagura thought to herself, waiting for the outcome of this particular game.

"What _need_ could the subject possibly have for her violent nature not to be suppressed?" The woman pressed, her manner seemingly surprised, but her dark eyes held only contempt for the incompetence of her colleagues.

Dr. Latham, the nominal Head of Psychological Research on Station Nine, coughed politely, covering his colleague's embarrassment at looking so foolish in front of so noble an audience. Kagura's red eyes flicked toward the other Lord, who had remarkably decided to attend this particular meeting, which from what little she gathered, was highly unusual.

But then, nothing was ever usual with Sesshoumaru Taisho. He was an enigma, even among youkai kind, and the reasons for whatever he did never discernedIf the late Naraku had been lauded for his aggressive moves in the Game, then Lord Sesshoumaru was almost worshipped for his subtlety and poise. He was known for keeping his enemies close, and his ploys closer.

Why he should take a particular interest in this particular subject was cause for careful consideration, but then again, it may have been nothing more than a courteous gesture on his part, to impress upon his feminine guest that he took interest in what interested _her_. And that, too, bore food for thought…

"Suppression of the subject's inherent nature could be decided at a later date, could it not?" The Lord chose to helpfully interrupt the tense silence that had descended on the meeting, his golden eyes almost mild as his gaze touched each doctor in turn. Most of them looked away, unable to stand even so mild a glance, though Dr. Higurashi withstood it with unruffled composure.

Dr. Latham coughed again, stirring uneasily in the hard plastic of his utilitarian chair. "Um, yes, my lord. What you say is entirely true. Suppression need not be debated at this time. There is still time to decide the matter. As it stands, there is still quite a bit left to do, in regards to reactivating the subject's initial responses and integrating additional precepts of her Identity Alteration."

The inu lord allowed a faint, approving smile to touch his perfectly-sculpted lips, and it did what it was supposed to do, charming the simple ningen, both men and women, into following his unspoken order that the meeting was now adjourned. With far less fuss and delay than was normal for such things, the room was soon emptied of all but a few lingering participants.

Dr. Higurashi had possibly been the only one unaffected by the Taiyoukai's charm. She took her time putting her notes into proper order before departing the room without a backward glance. Dr. Latham, her mentor, had paused to bow before his Lord and benefactor. With gushing gratitude, the old man acted the venerated fool of any ningen presented with youkai preeminence. It was almost disgusting, really, how the competent doctor could turn into such a fawning worm of a man.

"My lord, I wanted to personally thank you for your attendance to this informal meeting. My staff and I fervently hope that---"

Lord Sesshoumaru, now that he need not charm anyone to his whims, gave the man a contemptuously bored look. "You may leave, doctor."

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Flustered, the man bowed and scraped his way out, though he took far too long for Kagura's impatience. How such a competent medic could turn into such a cringing hem-grabber was almost beyond belief. How Sesshoumaru could control his ningen subjects so thoroughly should have impressed her, but it only left a bad taste in her mouth.

Finally, the man had groveled himself out, and Lord Sesshoumaru came to bow mockingly over her hand, his golden eyes appraising. "I hope that this tedious exercise in monotony did not bore you, my lady Taiyoukai."

"Mmmm." Kagura made a dismissingly noncommittal gesture. This Taiyoukai was dangerous, and the sooner she was able to leave her host's particular hospitality, the better.

"Will you take a stroll with me in the gardens on Level Six? They are called 'Eden' for the beauty of their exotic blooms, and I have commissioned their cultivation to satisfy even one of such discerning tastes as you, Lady Wind."

Kagura smiled slightly, though it was brittle. Her deep red eyes gave none of her emotions away, for which she was grateful. This inu was a deep player of the Game, none of the subtle nuances would escape him. But she did not wish for company right now, and cried off with a rather paltry excuse. "Perhaps another time, my lord. I find myself unused to the atmosphere onboard Station, generous as your oxygen replenishment systems are, and grow easily wearied as a result."

"Understandable, my lady, especially for one to whom the air around her plays no small part in her true nature." His smile was soft, his golden eyes calculating.

Kagura dismissed his probing half-question with an airy wave and an easy smile of her own, though her red gaze had hardened. "Your understanding is greatly appreciated, my lord."

"I am glad, Kagura, that we can understand each other so well." Using that mysteriously pithy non sequitur as farewell, the powerful inu picked her slender hand up to lay a soft kiss on her wrist. With a final bow, and enigmatic look out of golden eyes, the Taiyoukai withdrew, leaving her alone.

_Finally._

Kagura swept to her feet, her energy belying the weariness she had just claimed. There was much she needed to do, and little time to do it in. First, she must gather every scrap of knowledge she could gain on the particular whereabouts of certain enemies of both the inu lord, Sesshoumaru, and her late father, Naraku. It should be easy; a youkai's sense of wrong could last as long as the rather amusing myth of a cat's, and she was merely of the first generation, not the seventh. Her revenge would be the hotter for that fact, not the lesser.

Revenge was not always a dish best served cold.

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"There are some new, interesting, players in the game." The words were thoughtful, the voice sensuously deep.

"Ah?" The other man sat back, steepling his hands in front of him with an air of mild curiosity.

"It should prove…interesting…to see how this game is played out." Another, his face hidden deep in the shadows, commented.

"Mmm." The comment was noncommittal, an echo of the kaze youkai's not long before.

_"Interesting,_ to say the least." The second man agreed with irony.

"So long as we are agreed on the outcome, gentlemen." The first man said, his tone rather sharp.

"Is it not already assured?" The man in the shadows asked with negligent disdain.

"Nothing is ever assured." The deep voice answered darkly, his cold eyes hooded.

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"My lady, there is someone requesting an audience with you..."

Ayame looked up sharply as the soft voice of her ningen servant fell off, surprise coloring the old, gray-haired woman's faint scent.

Ayame frowned, seeing what had startled the old woman, who was usually so unobtrusive that Ayame often forgot her presence. The 'someone' who wanted to see her was standing right behind her servant, having usurped his place and followed the old woman inside.

Green eyes flashed, and the ookami female did not try to hide her displeasure, even though the young ningen offered her a courteous bow of deep respect.

"My lady Ayame, I offer my sincerest apologies for intruding in on you in this uncouth fashion, but I have an urgent matter of some delicacy to discuss with you."

Contemptuous, Ayame dismissed her servant with a wave. "You are impertinent, human."

"Yes, my lady." The gall of him, that he was agreeing with her! Perhaps he was an idiot, and only agreed because he did not know what the words meant. The stupidity of ningen never ceased to amaze her.

Seeing as she had not dismissed him outright, the idiot gained a measure of courage, and tentatively stepped inside her private sitting room. "My lady, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hojo Gentry, a merchant who has just recently come to Kyouko to personally investigate some potential ventures my investors are currently considering. I have learned that we may have a mutual interest in some…ah…comparative concerns."

What could possibly interest her that would also interest a disgusting, idiot ningen? He was diverting, however, and his obeisant behavior soothing to her youkai sense of virtuosity.

At least the fool knew his place.

Still…

Before she could make a move to arbitrarily dismiss him out of hand, the young man spoke in a rush. "Our mutual concern, my lady, is the young onna, Sango Jennar."

Ayame's brow wrinkled with irritation. "Who?"

The man _was_ an idiot.What would ever make him think that _she_ would be concerned with a stupid ningen woman, unless it was some young slut she had dismissed from her service. Not a few of her youkai admirers had amused themselves with the younger, feminine members of her grandfather's staff---which had infuriated Ayame no end. In a fit of pique, she had dismissed the lazy pack of sluts, choosing to employ the plain and elderly women like the servant who had shown this fool in, though even their discretion was hardly on a par with what she _should_ demand from mere ningen…

The man seemed taken aback that she did not recognize the name, and Ayame felt her irritation growing. "Say what you will and then leave my presence. I hardly think that _I _would have anything at all in common with some ningen girl, and _less _care!"

"But I was told that Sango had usurped your place in Lord Kouga's interest---" The man began in confusion, though Ayame's screech of outraged fury broke him off in mid-sentence.

"You speak of that slut to _me?"_ Her rage boiling over so that crimson flashed across her eyes, Ayame picked up the nearest object to hand---a delicately carved and very expensive Mayajaan vase---and threw it across the room, so that it hit the far wall with a satisfying crash of shattering glass.

The young man drew back as if afraid she would throw him next. The scent of his nervous apprehension actually soothed Ayame's anger, and she could feel the fury receding from her reddened eyes. It was with almost lazy disdain that she seated herself, lounging back and staring at the timid fool with a faint smile on her soft red lips. She noted that the man, ningen though he was, was rather a handsome specimen for his inferior species, with deep blue eyes and light brown hair. Not as impressive as a youkai would have been, perhaps, but not bad either.

"So, Hojo." She gifted him with a smile that had devastated many a stronger spirit than his, and shifted, so that her loose white robes parted, allowing a healthy expanse of thigh to show. The blue eyes were riveted to her exposed flesh, and Ayame felt the familiar sense of empowerment fulfill her. With a negligent wave of her hand, she summoned the young man to seat himself beside her. He almost fell over himself rushing to obey, as she knew he would.

Leaning forward, she pressed her polished claws against his chest with a light touch. With parted lips and half-closed eyes, she said softly, "Yes, my young man, it seems we have _much_ to discuss…"

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Sango avoided the wolf lord whenever she could. It was surprisingly easy, for it was rare for Kouga to come and visit them at the cabin in the woods, as he was busy with his own concerns. When the black-haired youkai did come, he often disappeared into the forest with Inuyasha, hunting and trapping and doing whatever else guys did, as Kagome airily put it.

Her days assumed a quiet pattern, and she took on as many of the household tasks as Kagome would let her, still feeling like she wasn't doing nearly enough to justify her continued support. Whenever she brought up her uncertain questions about the future, Kagome would just dismiss them as airily as dismissed her husband's activities in the woods. Sango finally let the subject drop, and was surprised at how content she had become to do so.

After sampling Kagome's rather bad attempt at making breakfast, Sango had shyly asked Inuyasha for a few instructions on how to use the large heating unit. She had proved to be a fair hand at it. Nothing compared to Inuyasha, of course, but at least she didn't burn stuff into char the way Kagome did.

Kagome had happily relinquished kitchen duty to her, as well as the heavy cleaning of the cabin's stone floors and manual sanitary unit. Kagome insisted on doing the laundry, though, saying she had to do at least _some_ of the work herself. They had both fallen into an easy pattern of chore and leisure, both content with the quiet simplicity of their life in the isolated wilderness of Kyouko's northern continent. Kagome would sometimes join her husband for a trip to Agariba, always asking if Sango wanted to come along. Sango would softly decline, not wishing to intrude on their privacy, and unwilling to admit that she did not want to see a certain ookami who now spent more time in the port-city than anywhere else. Kagome, sensitive to Sango's moods ever since the night of Kouga's reception, would not argue, though she often looked just a little wistful and sad before hugging her friend in farewell.

Strange as it was to have the cabin empty and to herself, Sango sometimes felt relief for the silence. It was often during those times that she would take time to go and wander deep into the woods, though she was more careful after Inuyasha's growled warnings about the possibility of danger, mainly from wild predators.

The nights had grown colder, and the late summer had started to recede. The green leaves had started to change into a wealth of colors, from mellow gold to brilliant scarlet and rusty orange. Although she was cautious, Sango could not stay away from the forest for long. It called to her, giving her a strange peace as she walked and watched the wilds in lonely fascination.

Kouga would often come and fetch Inuyasha in his sleek little skimmer going to Yoro for up to a week at a time. Kagome, missing him, had once said that she wished he didn't have so much confounded business to take care of, but the work didn't stop just because she wished it would. On those occasions, Kagome would often bury herself inside the library, leaving Sango free to wander the woods that she could not leave for long.

Before leaving on one of his various trips to the orbital station Yoro, Inuyasha had taken Sango aside and given her a knife, telling her he was concerned for her safety and how often she was out alone in the forest. Sango had been surprised; she had not realized Inuyasha had taken such notice of her absence when he, himself, was gone. But Inuyasha had pressed the blade into her hand, muttering that it had actually been Kouga's damn idea.

Sango had gingerly taken the knife, and she always remembered to belt it on, feeling strangely comforted by its weight at her side, before wandering away from the cabin. As she sat one day under a thick-leafed elm, idly watching the small furry creatures scamper after fallen nuts on the ground, she stirred as a muscle cramped in her back, and the little animals vanished, not to return before she departed (as she knew full well, having tried to wait them out once before.)

She should really get up and head back to the cabin, but the sun was out, peeping golden warmth into the shadows, and she was loathed to move. So, instead, she pulled out the dagger and played with it, testing the perfect weight and balance in her hands, careful not to touch the sharp Argurien steel edges of the keen blade.

Something stirred deep in her memory, and Sango's brow furrowed in concentration. She often tried to forget about her hazy past, there was too much pain and darkness for her to really want to remember parts of it. But she still had so many unanswered questions…like where had she originally come from? She knew she had always lived in space, in the sterile, metal environment of stations and ships, but _which_ particular station had she been born on? She remembered her father, a stern man, but could not remember his name. And of her mother, she had not even a breath of memory, and knew somehow that _that_ one was forever denied her…

Though hadn't Kohaku, her little brother, been young enough from her in years so that she might remember their mother? For she was certain that they both had come from the same source (crass as the word sounded, it also seemed to fit her sparse knowledge, and just _felt_ right as a definition.)

Her palm curved over the dagger's hilt with easy familiarity. Often the body remembered things the mind could not, or so the psy-medics on Station Nine had told her. Sango wondered what tactile memory her fingers could retain that she could not. She turned the knife over in her right hand, until her wrist curved back, the sharp point at an odd angle. Something stirred, and with a practiced move that surprised her no end, she flicked her wrist, and let the dagger fly.

It landed in the tree bole some distance ahead of her with a loud _thud_ on impact, and Sango's mouth fell open in shock. She was up on her feet before she knew what she was doing, and pulling the dagger free of the wood. The blade was hardly dulled---Argurien steel was one of the strongest metals known in the galaxy, and could hold an edge longer than other metals or ordinary steel.

The metal gleamed silver-blue in the sunlight, and feeling almost dreamlike and surreal, Sango stepped back further to repeat the maneuver from a standing height. Biting her lip, she took aim and snapped her wrist forward, letting the knife fly once more.

The dagger hit the tree trunk, only a few inches off target. Sango knew with some distraction that her aim would improve with practice. And within a few tries, it did---to the point where she only had to decide on a specific spot, and her arm and wrist would follow the direction with deadly and automatic accuracy.

Sango suddenly felt very foolish. What was she doing, throwing her knife at trees? But it just felt so _right_ to her, as if she was doing something that had been bred deep into her bones…

And that thought chilled her more than anything.

She almost wanted to throw the sharp blade away from her, and she had even drawn her arm back to do so, when an odd noise caught her attention. A noise that did not belong in the natural world around her, but more to the technological one she had left behind.

Looking up, she noticed that the sun had disappeared behind thickening clouds. The forest suddenly seemed eerily quiet. The reaching limbs of the surrounding elms hid much of the sky, but the thrumming noise of descending engines was growing distinctly louder. It was a harsher sound then the smooth hum of Kouga's silver skimmer, and coming closer.

Perhaps the skimmer was being serviced, or Inuyasha had finally relented and purchased his own small flyer. Either way, it was getting late, and Sango didn't want to face one of Inuyasha's bad moods if he had to come looking for her because Kagome had grown worried.

Turning her way home, Sango absently sheathed the dagger, feeling oddly comforted by its presence by her side.

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Kagome looked up as she heard the faint but distinctive noise of an incoming ship's reverse thrusters. It seemed different, somehow, from the usual low level of the skimmer's smooth engines, but she dismissed it as unimportant. Carefully marking her place in the book she had been reading, she yawned and stretched, a happy little smile curving across her lips.

Inuyasha would be home soon, a day earlier than expected, but she was delighted that he had been able to wrap up his business early and surprise her. She hated sleeping in that giant bed all alone…

She jumped up as she heard the clanking impact of the ship landing. It had come in faster than the level of noise had indicated. Running through the house, Kagome's fingers fumbled over the locking mechanism on the front door. Grumbling under her breath, she finally slid the archaic bolt free and shoved the heavy door aside. She dashed out of the house, breathless and smiling in happy welcome…

To have her smile fade as she realized with a sinking feeling that the black-haired youkai who confronted her at the ship's open hatch was _not_ Kouga, and the impassive youkai at the woman's shoulder was _not_ her hanyou mate.

There was a look in the cold woman's red eyes that had Kagome stepping back involuntarily, her fingers curling into fists to stop their trembling reaction. The youkai was as oddly out of place in the forested wilderness as her darling barbarian of a hanyou would be at a tea party. Clad in an elegantly expensive robe of rare silk in multiple layers and patterns of alternating navy and maroon, with---of all things---feathers threaded through the complicated arrangement of her black hair. Expensive jade earrings dangled from her pointed youkai ears, and the female oozed every ounce of youkai haughtiness, assured of her place and supremacy in the universe.

"You are not Sango Jennar." The youkai's voice was flat and cold, a statement of undeniable fact, not question.

Kagome's spine stiffened. Suddenly, her fear of the lady was gone, and she took a belligerent stance, even crossing her arms in an echo of her mate at his most irritating. She even managed to demand, brown eyes flashing, "And just who are _you?"_

"That is no concern of yours, ningen." The youkai's glance was contemptuous.

"Excuse me?" Kagome was furious. How dare some crazy youkai come skipping down here, tell her she _wasn't_ somebody she had no business seeking, and then tell her that it was none of her business! Kagome was right on the point of giving this supercilious woman a good piece of her mind when there was a rustle from the trees to the left of them, and Sango emerged while incongruously brushing the browned leaves from her hair.

Kagome felt a chilling stab of fear, for the formidable woman had turned her bloody gaze on her friend. Kagome wished suddenly that Sango had stayed hidden in the woods. There was nothing good that could come of this high-and-mighty's interest in her friend.

"You are Sango Jennar." The youkai said in that same unemotional voice as before, and reached for something inside her robes.

Sango blinked at the scene, but had sense enough to take a wary step back. Her experience with youkai had left her with more than a faint sense of unease, and her words to Kouga on that long ago night came suddenly back to haunt her in the lady's soft voice.

"Taijiya, I have been avenged."

With that flat pronouncement, the woman held something up in her hand that flashed once, and Kagome's scream was ripped from her throat as Sango's body swayed and then slowly crumpled to the leaf-ridden ground at her feet.

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A/N: Mwa-ha-ha! A cliffie! I am fond of those. XP Sorry this one was so short, but the next chapter is being written now, so it won't be so long a wait. Just a quick note to thank all of the reviewers who have left such inspirational messages. It spurred me on to continue this little endeavor. Thank you so very much! Fate


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE  
_

A/N: I was almost bowled over by the response to the last two chapters. Thank you so very very very much for the reviews and uplifting comments! It spurs me on to write more of this little story…

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. On the very good advice of CWolf, I will not omit foul language from ff dot net.

_CHAPTER NINE_

A lone howl rose eerie in the distance as Kagome ran for her fallen friend, the tears streaming down her cheeks as she threw herself forward, heedless of the danger she herself was now in.

_"Sango!"_

She almost didn't hear the coldly feminine voice that addressed her youkai guard with the mildness of one merely discussing the weather. "We are finished here. Prepare for our immediate departure---the Wolf's minions are close."

Without a backward glance, the Lady and her impassive escort ascended the ramp, the hatch closing firmly behind them. Kagome didn't see them take off, too busy turning her friend over and desperately searching for any sign of life.

The retro-sonic blast burned through the clearing, roaring over the dissonant howls that seemed to ring the forest now from all sides. Kagome knelt in the leaf-mold beside her friend, her fingers feathering across the white face and closed eyes. She nearly sobbed with relief when she saw Sango's chest rise and fall in shallow breath.

"Sango! Oh gods, Sango! _Please_ wake up, oh gods, _please!"_ Kagome shook the limp body, but there was no response. Although she checked everywhere, there were no discernable wounds. The unconscious girl's pulse, though fast, was strong, and Kagome could not understand what that haughty bitch had done to her sweet and innocent friend.

Sango remained insentient, though Kagome tried to rouse her, even slapping at the pale cheeks. Running back to the cabin for a glass of water, the tears still ran down her face with a tumultuous mix of shock and relief and nagging fear. Kagome almost stumbled and dropped the glass as she ran back outside---to be confronted with a scene she would never in her short life have believed if it were not right there in front of her.

Dusky gray and chestnut brown forms surrounded the small clearing in a flood of furry bodies. Kagome's eyes widened, and she choked back a hoarse cry. She could not see Sango's still form for the furry throng pressed around it, and although she knew Kouga was an ookami lord, and might somehow control these crazy wild dogs, she did not know how _she_ might be able to.

Kagome jumped as a heavy head nudged her in the back of her knees. Water sloshed, and she let out a small gasp as the giant gray wolf lurking behind her gave her another hearty push, this time with its shoulder. Kagome whirled around to confront it, but it only sat back on its haunches and looked at her with yellow eyes. It wuffed low in its throat, seeking to reassure her, but Kagome backed away---and right into another, who also nudgedher thigh with its head before taking a drooling swipe with a long, pink tongue at the hand she spread out for balance.

Kagome shuddered, half in fright, half in disgust. Dog drool was one thing, especially if it was Inuyasha's, _wolf drool_, on the other hand, was just downright _ew!_

But she wasn't too stupid to take the hint. "You're friends, aren't you? You're trying to help me." She addressed the wolf that sat on her front porch as if he were a king on its throne. He seemed to be the one in charge, and his answering "woof!" let her know her guess had been the correct one.

But how could a pack of four-pawed wolves help her? They were not healers, not human, not youkai, not Inuyasha. Kagome felt a sudden, intense need for her mate, but she was made of sterner stuff than to wish for things she couldn't get. _Like a doctor…_

The King Wolf, as she was already calling him in her mind, was trying to give her an urgent message. He jumped to his feet, and bumped her thigh with a whine. Kagome thought he meant that she should tend Sango, and he at first seemed satisfied when she walked over to the unconscious girl's side. The wolves, whining and wuffling low in their throats, made room for her, but when Kagome started to kneel, the King Wolf growled sharply at her.

Kagome turned around, her brown eyes wide. "What? What are you trying to tell me? Sango needs help!"

"Wruf!" Agreed, but it was a different kind of help that the King Wolf had in mind. With short, sharp barks, he had the milling pack nosing at Sango's still form, lowering their forepaws to try and scoop her up as if they had hands to carry her.

King Wolf leapt past them and just inside the shadowed forest, tossing his head to show Kagome that he wanted them to leave the clearing, that it was not safe.

"But we can't leave!" Kagome protested, looking wildly around.

King Wolf growled, showing that he wouldn't put up with any of her arguments. The other wolves were pawing at the leafy dirt around Sango, one even taking a fold of her sleeve delicately in its wide jaws, as if it could drag her along like a fresh kill.

That would never work! The wolves could not lift the woman, and neither could Kagome carry Sango's slight but sturdy weight. But Kagome had a sudden idea, and she turned and ran for the cabin, King Wolf bounding after her with a snarl.

Kagome tore through the house, slamming open the door to Sango's bedroom. Grabbing the folded covers off of the bed, Kagome staggered back outside with their sturdy length.

"Here!" She waded her way back among the furry bodies, clasping tight her armload of blankets. King Wolf barked a command for the wolves to move aside as Kagome spread the heavier one out on the ground beside Sango. Falling to her knees, Kagome awkwardly leaned across Sango's body and started pulling. Sweat beaded her brow, and her arms felt like leaden weights by the time she was done, but she had finally been able to position Sango squarely in the middle of the impromptu stretcher.

Even as Kagome fell back on her heels with a tired sigh, the wolves were already surrounding the blanket, grabbing fistfuls of cloth in their powerful jaws. Kagome was soon crowded back, and she just stared in mind-numbed exhaustion as the wolves started hauling, awkwardly walking backwards, their tails waving for balance as their paws scrambled in the leaf-ridden dirt.

A gray head bumped her shoulder and King Wolf gerruffed at her to get up and follow. Kagome used him as a crutch to get wearily to her feet. He left her side as she stumbled forward, bounding away into the woods with some of the others,their ringing chorus sounding more like the baying of hounds than the howling dirge of wolves. Warm bodies surrounded Kagome as she watched Sango being dragged deeper into the forest. She followed, the wolves' cries drawing her into the darkening shelter of the trees as much as her own heavy heart.

_Sango-chan, please be all right…_

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"Hey, Boss?"

Hakkaku's white-spiked head thrust into the room even before the door-panel had finished sliding open. Kouga looked up with a harassed expression, his voice terse. "What?"

Hakkaku slipped inside and rubbed the back of his shaved head, his expression apprehensive. "You got a vid-comm signal coming in, Boss."

"Who?" Kouga had already dropped his eyes and attention back to the various papers and data-printouts that littered the top of his massive desk.

"I.D. shows…uh…it's the Lady of Kumo." Hakkaku rubbed the back of his head again, shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other. When there was no immediate response from his lord, the ookami tried again. "The…uh…Taiyoukai of the Oni Five Systems."

"Hakkaku, get to the fucking point." Kouga growled, finally looking up. "Who the hell _is_ it?"

"It's Kagura, Boss. Naraku's heir."

_"What?"_ Kouga's eyes were as bloodily crimsoned as the Wind Lady's were reputed to be.

There was a muffled thump from the outer room, and the door-panel slid open to reveal Ginta sprawled on the floor. The inner-comm, which linked Kouga's office to the outer room, crackled with static. The damn fool had been trying to listen in as he sent his hapless brother, Hakkaku, inside with the bad news. Kouga's roar had the idiot's sensitive ears ringing, which served him right.

Kouga hardly noticed Ginta's embarrassment at having been caught.The lord's claws were curled into the edge of his desk as he furiously battled his rising youkai temper into a semblance of cool deliberation. His ookami nature was snarling at the thought of what that bitch might ever have to say to him. Why was she seeking him out? Vengeance?

Was she looking for her own death, as her father had, by his claws?

It took a moment, but the blood finally receded from his vision, and Kouga's light blue eyes emerged. He gave Hakkaku a hard look. "I will take the call in my sitting room."

It was more casual than his cluttered office, and the relaxed atmosphere would both soothe the tension inside of him and convey the perfect sense of casual contempt he wanted to display before the youkai female. It would never do to let the lady think that she might be able to affect him in any significant way. Although Kouga detested and despised the subtleties of the ancient youkai Game of rivalry and Clan preeminence, he had still been drilled by his arrogant father in how to pay lip service to the unspoken rules.

Kouga forced his tight muscles to relax, and when he had assumed a casual sprawl across the buff-colored sopha that faced the descending vid-screen, Hakkaku and Ginta were almost drop-jawed with amazement at the abrupt change in his demeanor. He motioned Ginta to activate the monitor with a careless wave, but it was the hard glint in the ookami lord's icy eyes that had the gray-hair youkai jumping to obey.

The visual display flickered and then stabilized to show a narrowed view of a small chamber that could have been anywhere, on ship, station or planet, for all but a tapestry-hung wall was shown of her surroundings. The Lady of the Oni Five Systems was seated on a heavily carved, backless chair of deep mahogany, the armrests coming up on either side of the seat to form an encircling U.

The Lady herself sat stiffly erect, the fine silken robes of her rank swathing her slight form in traditional layers of mystery. Her skin was so pale she need not resort to rice powder, though she had carefully applied rouge to her lips and liner to her eyes and meticulously arched brows. Her midnight hair was swept up into an intricate coil of looping braids. Dangling jade beads at her ears and a small, gleaming emerald pendant with two white feathers were her only vanity. It was a studied culmination of elegant simplicity, and artfully achieved.

Kouga stared at the wind youkai, the daughter of his loathsome enemy, and said nothing. It was for her to speak first. Hers was the smaller domain, the lower ranking among their kind, and it was _she_ who had sought out _him._

Kagura did not appear to take notice of his cold silence. With a deep bow, one of scorning subservience---a shade too low for what among youkai had been perfected to the merest breath---she mocked him. It was a rather inane tool, a suitably vague weapon in the artful finesse of strike and parry that made up the Game that ruled all youkai life. It was a gimmick many had used, as she did now, to taunt without reprisal, as the youkai who deigned to notice and protest would feel oblique shame.

A black brow arched in contemptuous appraisal, as if questioning the Lady's mental competence. By that simplistically vague insult, Kouga showed himself as good a player of the Game as the Wind Lady.

Kagura allowed a small smile of acknowledgement to curve her red lips before her face smoothed out into the emotionless mask of the true youkai noble. Her red eyes were unfathomable, her expression ambiguous. "Greetings, my lord Kouga. I am flattered that you have given me but a moment of your time, which I may assert must be a precious commodity indeed."

The low growl in the back of Kouga's throat was unseemly for a youkai of his breeding, but he had always hated the fine art of verbal fencing most of his youkai equals enjoyed. His limited patience for such crap had been reached, and he didn't give a good damn if he was breaking the unspoken rules. "What do you want, Lady?"

Crimson eyes narrowed, and she allowed distaste to color her soft voice. "I find this experience as distressing as you, my lord Wolf. There is no love lost between our two Clans."

The hard blue eyes misted with blood, but Kouga kept a tight rein on his fury. The Lady was even more sly than her damnably treacherous father---and almost as capricious as the wind she was made of, for she abruptly changed the subject.

"But I tarry overmuch on the unnecessary. Allow me to explain, my lord, why I have contacted you." Kagura smoothed her skirts with slender claws, a deep emerald winking at him from one long finger with the slow, hypnotic movement.

Kouga's answering smile was cold. "Finally."

"Your impatience is legendary, my lord." The youkai returned his smile with a chilling one of her own. "I am merely here to settle a debt between us. A debt of blood."

_Now_ she would get to the point of this useless waste of his time. Kouga's muscles tensed in anticipation, though his posture remained carelessly relaxed. Would she want to fight him directly? It might prove interesting. The lady bore the appearance of a fragile lily (as was traditional), but her gaze was level, her spine straight. She was more direct than her fool father, and Kouga thought idly that it might be diverting to see how quickly he would defeat her or her 'champion', if she so chose.

His blue eyes glinted, and he even smiled---a true smile, though it was quite predatory.

Kagura seemed slightly amused. "You are eager to misinterpret my debt of honor, ookami. But I am just as eager to discharge it."

"Are you then?" Kouga smirked.

"But not in the way you may expect, my lord. I have disparate reasons for seeking you out, and although my gratitude is paltry, still I think a life is fit payment for a death."

Kouga frowned, not knowing where this wily bitch was going with this. A faint growl resonated deep in his chest, and his claws curled slightly. "It there a point to all this, kaze?"

Kagura straightened, her amusement dissipating like air in the deep vacuum of space. "Distasteful as I find this debt, my lord, still I must honor it.And so I have come with a simple warning, in order to save your life, which should eradicate any further debts between us."

The blue eyes narrowed.

"There are those who seek your life, Taiyoukai. Their power is not inconsiderable, and the possibility of their success quite fair. The tong hired has refused payment, as they seek their own reasons for your demise. I have uncovered information of long-laid plots and deeper conspiracies, involving parties as high as your estimable self, and as lowly base as the idyllic idiots who call themselves the Destiny of Man. Your recent escapades have not escaped notice by our youkai brethren, Lord."

Kouga sneered. "You thought this important enough to contact me personally? I have always heard the hungry yowls of foraging cats in the hills, Lady, but never cared, for they could do me and mine little harm."

Derision colored the wind youkai's soft voice, and the contempt fairly dripped from her words. "You underestimate the strength of your foes, Lord---and their determination. To use your quaint symbolism---the cats are howling, yes, but they are already inside your home. You have already given berth to one of them, and as I know of her in the past, I have taken certain measures to limit her effective use as their tool. You should know of her, ookami---it is not hard to identify the taijiya when one has enough brains to look for them."

_Sango._ Kouga felt a chill, and his blue eyes hardened.

"The tong is not easily thwarted. I do not doubt that they will send other…operatives." The cold smile on the wind youkai's lips seemed to take mild delight in the thought.

"Why the hell are you telling me this, kaze? What benefit do you get out of it?" Kouga's fangs were barred, and he could feel the crimson anger misting across his eyes.

_Taijiya…_

The blood-red eyes of the Lady Taiyoukai were as hard as rubies, her voice harder. "Take my warning as you wish, Wolf. I care not; my honor has been satisfied."

With a snap of her red eyes and wave of her clawed hand, the visual was abruptly cut off, leaving Kouga to seethe.

But his thoughts were not on the wind youkai's cryptic warning, but on her even more cryptic remarks concerning Sango. _Tajiya…tong assassin…tool._

And then he remembered how that stifled bitch of a Taiyoukai had taken 'measures' to limit the effectiveness of that tool. And he remembered that Inuyasha was _here,_ with him, on Yoro, and not down on Kyouko…leaving the onna below defenseless.

Defenseless.

_Taijiya._

Assassin.

But even as his mind swirled with the angry rage of his inner thoughts, his body was already rising and running for the door. He snapped orders over his shoulder at his slower wolf-brothers to comm-link Inuyasha, and have the hanyou meet him in the docking bay where the sleek little skimmer patiently waited for the next time he had need of it. His stride lengthened as his fury lent him speed, and he snarled the hapless out of his way, bent on one goal.

_Taijiya._

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Kagura allowed herself a bare moment to relax her constant guard. Her stiff shoulders sank minutely as her red eyes closed. The interview had been difficult, far more difficult than she had anticipated. But she had fulfilled the debt, satisfied her honor, and thus relinquished further responsibility. If the stupid wolf decided not to heed her warning, than so be it.

"My lady?" The soft-spoken deference of her guard-captain soothed her frayed nerves, and Kagura opened her eyes. The youkai bowed, his features bland, though the concern flashed across his moss green eyes before being stifled behind the indifferent mask of the youkai. "Our sister Kanna has awakened."

Gathering calm composure like a mantle to clothe her, Kagura nodded once. "Thank you---Juuroumaru."

By using the captain's first name, she acknowledged his concern, his patent refusal to concede her own momentary lapse of poise, and the respect of shared blood and shared history between them. Though a younger son of her father's seed, Kagura still valued his quiet competence as a gift of the kami. Juuroumaru had survived their father's madness, as she had. His twin brother, Kageroumaru, had not been as fortunate, and his regrettabledeath by humiliated suicide from the incestuous treachery of their debauched father still gave Kagura nightmares.

She had been the one, after all, to find the bloodily tattered remains. Locked into his own madness of betrayed blood and lost respect, Kageroumaru had vivisected himself on his own claws.

Yet another needless death she could lay squarely at her father's feet.

Few of Naraku's children had survived the liberating gift of his demise. Many had been abandoned by their fickle father, others shown far too much favor. Those who were bestowed with Naraku's favor rarely survived the experience. Kageroumaru was a classic example of what had happened to many of Kagura's siblings. Few had survived Naraku's particular attentions with their minds intact. She and Juuroumaru were the rare exception to the rule.

Kanna, sadly, was not.

As Kagura directed her slow steps toward the small chamber in which Kanna had been berthed, Juuroumaruher ever-present and ever-protective shadow, she mused at how fickle the Fates were. It should have been Kanna, not her, who succeeded their foul father as Lady of the Oni systems. Kanna was the eldest, Naraku's first born by his unlamented first wifeBut Naraku, young and full of his own arrogant conceit as Lord, had taken the child too young, and too often, using her for such sadistic experiments that it made Kagura cringe to think of it. As horrific as her own experiences were at her father's hands, they were nothing to compare with her small white sister'sand the loss of Kanna's fragile mind had been more of a poignant expectation than a distressing detriment.

Kagura had despaired, believing Kanna would eventually end as Kageroumaru had, or worse---simply fade away into nonexistence, uncaring of her body or her self as her mind escaped the coils of the treacherous world who had betrayed it so young. Force-fed nutrients had taken away what little growth the white youkai might have had, and the result was that she would be forever trapped in the body of a small child. But with the mind gone, it had not mattered.

But then Kagura had learned of a possible cure for her sister's particular madness, and fragile hope had taken hold of her despairing heart. Ruthless in her drive to correct the evil misdeeds of her predecessor, the new Lady of the Oni and their subservient clans had traveled from her protected territories to find the one woman she had been told who might be able to give back some small part of Kanna as herself.

Dr. Kikyou Higurashi.

The psy-medic's theoretical research and initial experiments had only been with ningen, but she had easily adapted her psychological program to the small white youkai who Kagura had brought to Station Nine for her express talents.

And the blessings of Identity Alteration had saved Kanna, as nothing else could have. Robbed of radical emotion, and programmed for passive response, the small childlike innocence in Kanna's black eyeswas still far better than the blank withdrawal of trauma-induced psychotic paralysis. Dr. Higurashi had cautioned the Wind Lady that she could never expect a full recovery of Kanna's memories or initial personality---there had been too much trauma induced at too young an age to recover. But Kanna as she was now was far better than what she had had…

Kagura could now return to her Clan with a lightened heart. She had disposed of all her obligations, rectifying what damage she could of her horrific father's shaping. She could relax now, and let the dark pain of his shadowy influence pass from her weary soul.

Kagura's fingers lightly touched the identi-lock plate, and the door slid open with a reversing whirr of mechanized parts. She paused, looking for the small white form of her sister.

Kanna raised her compellingly ebon eyes, and her smile was one of innocent query, until the dark obsidian shadows lit with happy recognition. "Kagura!"

Kagura bent down to gather the small form that hurled itself at her, and the Wind Lady finally allowed the joyous tears of relief and lessening of burden fall one by one into the snow-white locks as she hugged her sister to her, the darkness forever withdrawn from their lives.

Never to return.

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A faint howl woke Kagome from an uneasy doze, and she bit back a moan as circulation returned to her numbed extremities. Rotating the sore shoulders of her neck and back, she tried to peer through the cave's thick darkness. There was a louder whine from within the enfolding gloom, and she drew in her breath sharply as she heard the faint click of claws on rock and dirt as the scrambling furry bodies around them suddenly withdrew, their strange cries making Kagome shiver with renewed tension and fear.

Kagome nervously checked to see if Sango had been hurt in the abrupt departure of their wolfly hosts, but the limp form beside her remained unresponsive. Kagome's fingers felt along the leaden arm to the reassuringly strong pulse-point in the girl's wrist. She could hear the faint breaths as Sango's chest rose and fell in the rhythmic cadence of life, but the girl's skin felt chilled to the touch. Kagome had hastily pressed both blankets around the girl's pliant form after the wolves' had escorted them to the dark hollow of the dry cave. The wolves had piled around them, giving what warmth they could, but the cold autumn night had soon robbed the lightly-dressed humans of even that small comfort.

Kagome had thought of building a fire, but the wolves would not allow her to leave the confines of the cave, growling at her with toothy menace whenever she tried. Those yellow eyes and sharp grins had been a good deterrent, and she had finally sunk down beside her insentient friend, wondering what, if anything, could come to rescue them…

The wolves' abrupt exodus could signal either friend or foe, and Kagome didn't have much hope in the former. Inuyasha and Kouga were not even on the planet, and if that crazy youkai lady had been able to penetrate the remote safety of their cabin, what was there to stop her from pursuing them into the deeper forests?The wolves, protective as they were, could not face a serious charge from an energy-lance or blast gun. The youkai might have realized her mistake in not having killed Sango outright, and come to rectify the problem.

Gritting her teeth, Kagome stumbled to her feet, determined to guard her fallen friend with the last breath in her body. Picking up a heftily solid rock in one hand, she crept to the cave's entrance, carefully trailing her outstretched fingers across the roughened wall for guidance. The deep darkness of the night was not even pierced by the faint hazy shimmer of moonlight, as the first moon had long since set and the twin journey of the second and third had been hidden by the thickening drift of concealing clouds.

She could hear frantic whelps and whines just outside, and she could not stop the icy tremor that shot straight down her spine. Ignoring her fear and the hands that shook, she gathered her courage and sprung out of the cave's mouth with a screaming cry of angry retribution, determined to see the bitch dead before she dare harm Sango again.

But she was caught in strong arms, and even as she abortively tried to swing her rock in automatic reflex, the motion was arrested, and Inuyasha growled out at her in worried relief and irritation, "Damn it, wench, what the hell are you trying to do to me? Knock me out?"

With a gasping cry of overwhelming relief and pent-up terror, Kagome released her abortive missile and wrapped her arms tight around the reassuringly strong chest, breathing in the familiar presence of her hanyou mate and sobbing aloud with relief. _"Inuyasha!_ Oh, Inuyasha! You came for me!"

"Of course I came, you idiot." Inuyasha's claws curled tenderly around her chin, his thumb brushing at the salty tears that dampened her cheek. Kagome sagged into his embrace, and just sobbed with the remission of the pent-up fears of the past terror-filled hours. She could not stop mumbling his name in hoarse repetition, and Inuyasha just held her, allowing her to spend her emotion against the hard reality of his solid presence.

She'd never allow the bastard to leave her behind again.

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Kouga had wasted no time in leaving the reunited pair behind, assured that Inuyasha would take care of Kagome. Sharply motioning for the protective pack's alpha male to lead him inside the cave, where his four-legged brothers reassured him that the other 'two-foot' (as they called the onna) was sleeping. Flashing on the glowing beam of his hand-held torch, Kouga narrowed his eyes to adjust to the abrupt change in light.

The dry cavern was deep, and twisted slightly to the left before widening out into a large, oblong chamber. The torch's beam bent crazy shadows across the rocky walls as the large gray wolf led the ookami lord deeper into the cave. Sango's particular scent filled his senses, and Kouga spied the still form across the sandy floor, huddled in blankets filched from the girl's own bed.

Quickly dropping to his knees, the ookami automatically searched for a pulse, though he could hear the faint beat of her heart and hear the fainter inhalations as her lungs took in air. His hands glided over the girl's still form, searching for injury, and when he found none, he tried to shake her awake---to no avail.

Sango lay as one dead, too deeply asleep to be called to waking. Kouga even resorted to the medi-kit in his hastily filled carry-sack, using the stinking fetor of smelling salts to try and rouse the unconscious girl. He growled with futile anger as the girl remained inert, her body and mind unresponsive to any of the myriad tricks he tried.

The youkai bitch's words came back to him in haunting recall. What had the kaze bitch done, exactly, to _'limit her effective use as their tool'_? What measures had she taken? How had she induced a coma-like somnolence on the girl, and was there no way he could combat it? With a snarl, Kouga ruthlessly began stripping the girl of her dusty clothes, determined to make certain that he had missed nothing. He examined her slender body minutely, looking for any sign of poison or recent injury. She had an extensive collection of past scars, most only faint white lines against her pale skin. Gently turning her on her side, he examined her back and legs, seeking anything that might explain her insentience. He allowed himself a momentary pause as he gently touched the outline of the deeper scar on her spine, his blue eyes darkening with memories of a chilled night on a shadowy terrace in Agariba…

There was a gasp behind him, and Kouga looked over his shoulder impatiently as Kagome, huddled against Inuyasha's protective side, started to protest. He growled a curt reply, and quickly covered Sango's naked form with the light blanket, carefully tucking the edges around her limp frame.

"What are you doing?" Kagome demanded, new tears welling up in her eyes.

"I checked for preliminary damage." Kouga growled back, jerking open the collapsed mouth of his carry-sack to pull out the heavier thermal blankets neatly folded into airtight, plaz-sealed squares.

"Anything?" Inuyasha's amber eyes were darkened in the tilting shadows of the cave.

Kouga shook his head in disgust, tearing open the plaz-film squares with his claws. The thermal blanket expanded once oxygen hit it, unfolding into a heavy length of strongly durable fabric.

Kagome moaned softly, looking small and defeated in the solid embrace of her hanyou mate. "It was a flash of light. The youkai lady held up something, and it flashed, and Sango fell to the ground unconscious…just as she is now."

Kouga snarled, his eyes crimsoning with frustration and rage. That youkai bitch would pay with her paltry life if she had indelibly harmed Sango…

A wolf whimpered, and Kouga abruptly called his frothing fury in check. It would do none of them any good right now. There was damn little he _could_ do, having wasted what little fuel had been left in the skimmer's tanks with the break-neck speed he had set getting down to the planet's surface.

Inuyasha nodded grimly, understanding. There was nothing more they could do right now, but wait out the night. In dawn's light, they could trek their way back to the cabin, where Kouga could use the comm-link to contact Yoro or Agariba, where he could demanded transport to a better-equipped medical facility.

Kouga threw the silver-haired hanyou a couple of thermal squares, and Inuyasha turned his mate about so that he could drape the fabric around her shaking shoulders. He murmured reassuringly in her ear, and Kagome reluctantly nodded. Her brown eyes flicked to Kouga, but Inuyasha muttered, and she dropped any issue about sleeping arrangements. Inuyasha sank down to the sandy floor, his back supported against the rocky wall behind him, and Kagome wearily climbed into his embrace, nestling her tired head against the firm pillow of his shoulder. The hanyou bent his silver head down to hers, and their murmurs were a soft sound in the background as Kouga directed the helpful wolves to gather dry wood and fallen branches for a fire.

There was a stone-ringed pit already blackened from past use, and he laid a fire in no time, the flames crackling merrily and causing rusty-brown shadows to dance across the rough walls of the cavern. Kagome now slept, and Inuyasha's head was sinking to his chest.

Kouga took the time to change into his usual hunting garb, having brought it with him without conscious thought. The furred hide was more natural to his youkai form, and he discarded his armor in favor of pulling the limp form of Sango into his arms. She was easy to lift, and he gently tilted her so that she lay nestled against his chest, much as Kagome was curled around Inuyasha on the other side of the flickering fire. He wrapped a third blanket around the unconscious girl as the wolves crept close, to add their silent warmth to the girl, and the comfort of their sturdily reliable presence to their lord. Kouga turned Sango so that he could gently rest his chin on her bent head, his eyes staring broodingly into the snapping flames, the muscles in his shoulders and arms rippling as he tightened his protective hold around the unconscious taijiya.

And with the girl in his arms, he waited out the long night.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE  
_

A/N: Thank you for all of the constructive reviews. They keep me balanced, and give me inspiration when I am staring at the screen in stupidity, cursing writer's block with appropriately foul snarls. XP

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations, issues and foul language.

_CHAPTER TEN_

She was warm, and held close. She wondered idly how that could be, but the soft fur against her cheek reassured her. Perhaps it was only a childhood memory, called up from the misty dimness of her past. She had been wrapped in natural furs in the small egg-like shape of the hatchery, the only tactile contact she had been allowed until the first three years of her life had passed.

It was soothing, though, and she snuggled into it. Beneath her ear, she could hear the strong, slow beat of a heart pumping life through the body, and she wondered at it. There was no such sound that she could remember in the womb-chamber of her nursery…

Sango slowly allowed herself to wake, reluctant to let go of such a lovely memory, such a lovely dream.But her body was already betraying her, stirring subtly in the automatic exercises that she had been taught so thoroughly that they were ingrained into her muscles and she had no conscious recognition or control of them anymore. One at a time, she could feel her muscles quiver and flex in the slow, minute releasing of sleep-numbed fatigue. Her hazy mind grew focused, and she was surprised to find that the soft warmth that surrounded her was_not_ a mere figment of her drowsing mind.

With a sharp inhalation at the startling thought, Sango woke---stared in shock at the blue eyes that stared down into hers---and rolled free with sudden, skilled adroitness.

Throwing the entangling blankets off of her body, she crouched in a defensive position some length from the youkai. She held one hand out in claw-like defense, the other already picking up the nearest weapon to hand---a fist-sized rock. Not much, but it would do in a pinch.

She knew without conscious thought or particularly caring that she was stark naked, but having found herself wrapped up in a blue-eyed demon's arms was of far more important at the moment than her dubious lack of clothing.

"Sango?" There was a curious lilt to the question, and Sango's eyes flicked to the side, taking in the puzzled expression on the girl's face. The girl was sitting in the lap of a silver-haired hanyou, and Sango_knew_ her somehow.

Memory was fuzzy, but Sango concentrated, calling the name to her. "Kagome," she said, putting a designation to the familiar girl's face. She stared hard at the hanyou, and knew him too.

"Inuyasha."

He smirked back at her, and Sango's gaze transferred to the black-haired youkai who had held her while she slept as the hanyou had held the other girl, Kagome. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she said in a flat tone, "You are Kouga."

He simply stared back at her, his pale blue eyes unfathomable.

_Kouga…_

A wisp of memory intruded, of claws gently reaching out to touch her cheek, her chin raised up so that she could stare earnestly into his eyes, the pain welling up along with the certainty that he was safe…_home_…

Sango blanched, and suddenly, it all came back to her.

Everything.

She lost her balance at the shock, and sprawled back on her bare ass like some untrained apprentice. Her father would have been humiliated to see her react like that, but damn.

_Damn._

"Sango?"

Kagome was scrambling out of her mate's arms, and rushing to her side. Sango held up a hand to signal that she was all right, that the other girl did not need to comfort her, but Kagome ignored the futile gesture. Grabbing Sango's hand in hers, Kagome used her other hand to feather the fingers across Sango's face in some type of reassurance to herself that she, Sango, was okay.

"Sango? Are you all right?"

Sango looked into the anxious brown eyes, and smiled faintly. "Yes, Kagome-chan, I am all right."

"Are you…" Kagome stopped, still concerned.

Sango squeezed the girl's fingers reassuringly. She paused, trying to find the word to explain how fully recovered _she_ was. "I am…myself."

Confusion joined the worry in the soft brown eyes, and Sango whispered in wonder, trying to clarify, "Kagome, I _remember."_

The surprise in her whisper was not for what she now recalled, but for the fact that she _had_ forgotten so much.

_So much…but _how?_ Psychological repression?_ The Identity Alteration forced on her was intense, but it could not have swallowed everything of her ingrained memory away. Her training, her upbringing, that had been intense as well, and fashioned her to thwart such intrusions as memory-wipe and psychological reprogramming.

But perhaps there had been a part of her that had desired forgetfulness…

Sango looked inward, and flinched.

1010101010101010

Kagome saw her flinch, and misinterpreted it.

"You're cold." She announced, and glared at Kouga. Slipping her hand from Sango's, the other girl quickly draped a thermal blanket over her shoulders to cover her nakedness. Sango had barely been conscious of it, and now she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. Ducking her head, she barely heard Kagome scolding the males with unusual ire.

_She's supplementing…ignoring my anamnesis to focus on something less---scary---that she can deal with right now._

Funny how the medical terms given her by one of the psy-medics on Station Nine could come to her now to explain Kagome's odd behavior. Kagome was actually ordering the two males out of the cave, demanding they go and find something for breakfast. Inuyasha glowered, but went. Kouga paused a moment, to look back at her, but Sango wouldn't meet his too-blue gaze, feeling suddenly shy.

Her father would have been stunned.

With a sharp gesture, Kouga turned away and there was a startling commotion as all of his four-legged brothers decided it was a perfect time to head out as well. Their din covered Sango's withdrawal until suddenly she and Kagome were alone in the echoing emptiness of the dimly lit cavern.

Kagome wasted no time in riffling through Kouga's carry-sack, grumbling under her breath that wasn't it just typical, the youkai having brought clothing for himself and nothing else! Pulling free a pair of denims and a crumpled silk shirt, she thrust them at Sango with a lop-sided smile. "Sorry, Sango-chan. That's all I could find."

Sango smiled faintly. Trust Kagome to think she would care. She gratefully took the girl's offering and stumbled her way into clothing far too large for her. They had to have been Kouga's, for the length of the leg and the expanse of the shirt's shoulders. Sango rolled up the sleeves that hung past her hands, as well as the cuffs of the pants so that she could at least move around without tripping over them.

Kagome had busied herself re-lighting the fire and tidying up their impromptu campsite. Sango felt a strange sense of unreality as she watched Kagome neatly fold the thermal blankets into cushiony seats around the fire. She had tried to help, but Kagome had waved her aside, saying that she looked exhausted, and should rest.

Sango did feel strangely surreal as all the adrenaline that had awoken her rather abruptly from sleep drained away. She was content to let Kagome 'nest' as the girl's maternal instinct was termed, and allow her mind to drift in hazy insight, slightly overwhelmed by the thoughts and memories that now flooded her awareness with odd sensations of déjà vu…

She roused when Kagome shook her shoulder. Sango blinked in confusion, and was surprised to find that she had drifted off into a light doze. Some time had passed, and both youkai and hanyou had returned to the cave. Inuyasha bent over the snapping fire, growling about cooking over a pit and Kagome just laughed. The scene was almost homey, and Sango felt uncertain as Kagome went to help her mate serve up spliced bush-tail on primitive spits.

A warm blast of air on her cheek made Sango turn in surprise, and the huge gray wolf she had met once before gave her a toothy grin. His breath was heavy with the almost rancid smell of fresh-caught meat. He had already had his share of breakfast, and had eaten it the ookami way---raw. Sango smiled at the memory of Kouga teasing Inuyasha over breakfast in the cabin months before, and then blinked as her inadvertent backrest---the wolf---slid deferentially away as the youkai lord approached.

"You are awake." He said, his blue eyes intense.

Sango felt strangely shy with him, and dropped her gaze from his. "Yes."

"Hungry?" His tone was gruff, and Sango appreciated that.

"Yes." She felt like an idiot, something entirely new to her reawakened experience.

Kouga extended a clawed hand to help her up, and Sango hesitated briefly before slipping her hand into his. Her father would have paroxysms if he had ever known she would be taking help from a youkai lord, of all things. But Kouga was not a demon, not an enemy, as she had been taught. She wondered what else she had been disciplined to believe was false…

His claws curled over her fingers and Sango slid gracefully to her feet. He did not release her hand, even though she half-expected he would, until he had drawn her to the cook-fire. Kagome looked up with a welcoming smile, busily opening leaf-wrapped tubers from the glowing ashes as her mate divvied up the three bush-tails they had snared to break their fast.

Sango sank down on one of the impromptu cushions, her stomach telling her in no uncertain terms that it was empty. Her mouth watered as Inuyasha handed over her share on a wide, sturdy leaf-frond she had often seen growing near water. The slightly curving frond made a sturdy plate, and Sango had no problem using her fingers for lack of any other utensil. The meat, thoroughly cooked for human sensibilities, was hot, and she burned her mouth on the first bite.

Kagome giggled at her expression, and handed over the water-flask she had purloined from Kouga's carry-sack. Sango flushed, feeling stupid---something which felt entirely foreign, and yet increasingly familiar.

"Careful." Kouga said, sliding down next to her in a graceful movement. Sango's blush grew hotter at having to be reminded like some apprentice, and she used the flask to hide her uneasy confusion over the ookami's sudden concern for her. He was acting almost…solicitous…toward her, and the answering warmth of emotion that stirred inside of her for the startling idea was even more disturbing.

Ducking her head, Sango pretended to ignore her own uneasiness, as well as the questions in everyone's eyes. They respected her enough to make no demands while they ate, but Sango knew that she owed them an explanation of what, exactly, had occurred. And although she was uncertain what, if not _who,_ had caused her memories to return, they were there now for the sifting.

Not that it would be easy. She had been programmed since birth to hold her secrets tightly to her. Taught so well, in fact, that she had survived both the darkly inventive interrogations of Naraku and later the more prosaic, if no less painful, attempts by Station Nine's authorities. She had kept her mouth closed, a bit white-lipped perhaps, but still closed.

Her father, sternly adamant and exacting as he was, would have been proud of her for that. He would have been outraged, however by the company she was currently keeping. It was rather startling to be here, eating breakfast with a youkai, a hanyou, and a girl who was the hanyou's mate as if it were the most normal thing in the world, as if she had done it a hundred times before.

And yet, hadn't she? Although she had not truly been herself, Sango, as she _now_ was, she had still been befriended by those three---and if Sango were truly honest, those three had come to mean more to her than just mere companionship. For some reason, she trusted them, as she had not ever believed she could trust again. What she had once been, what had once defined her whole existence, now only lay like dusty ashes in the bitter knowledge of her betrayal. Her whole world had shattered in one brief moment, when she had looked up into the face of what she had thought was her savior, rescuing her from the dark torment of Naraku's prison, and had seen only the glittering edge of the sharp dagger meant for her death…

The pain still stung, and the food in her mouth, so welcome moments before, now made her nauseous. What she had already eaten lay heavy in her stomach, which was tight with bitter memories. She abruptly set the leafy plate aside, the brown depths of her eyes darkening with a troubled mixture of anger and pain, the sharp tang of reawakened reminiscence swirling across the chaos of her mind.

She felt a light touch on her shoulder, and Sango blinked up at the concern in Kouga's light blue gaze. His hand firmed, the claws lightly caressing, offering her unspoken comfort. Sango flinched, as much from the claws as from the intensity of his gaze. His claws fell as if scorched, and she turned her head aside, her cheeks pale. Jerking to her feet, she pulled away from them.

"Sango?" She could hear Kagome getting up and a low, impatient growl from the hanyou. How typical of him; it made Sango want to cry with the familiar warmth in the thought. How would they feel once they knew the truth? How would they react to the knowledge that she was a taijiya---a demon slayer, a paid assassin. They would be appalled and sickened by the verity, but Sango could not lie to them. She owed them too much. But she hated to see the betrayed trust in their eyes…

"Sango-chan, what's wrong?" Kagome would have touched her arm, but hesitated to after having watched Sango flinch from Kouga's claws.

_Kagome._ How would the innocently light-hearted girl take the veracity of her past? Sango hated to see the hurt in Kagome's brown eyes---the thought was almost as bitter as the thought of the look of disgust in Kouga's…

But better to meet a foe head on than to slink away, cowering in the shadows.

Sango's head came up, and her chin firmed. It was the icy discipline of the trained assassin that came to aid her now, to lend her the strength to turn and face them all with the truth. Her slight figure straightened, and the chilling look in her eyes had Kagome stepping back as if struck.

There was a flicker in the cool gaze, a momentary crack, giving a glimpse of suppressed pain and repentance, before Sango's expression hardened once more. It was enough, though, for Kagome to take heart. Compassionate, but knowing instinctively that Sango would not want her solace right now, Kagome retreated, blindly seeking her mate for some consolation of her own in the sturdy strength of his presence. Inuyasha's arms pulled her close, though his amber eyes were on Sango, his look measuring.

Kouga got to his feet in a lithe movement, icy blue eyes never leaving Sango's. A wolf whined uneasily in the sudden tension, but the ookami lord ignored it. Crossing his arms, he planted himself across from the girl. The ice in his blue eyes hardened, and he ordered, "Speak, taijiya."

Sango stiffened, and a muffled curse sprang from the hanyou, whose amber eyes darkened as he pulled his mate closer with protective instinct. Kagome's mouth had fallen open in shock, and she stared at Sango with sudden fear.

But for Sango, there was only Kouga, who seemed to dominate her vision, demanding answers. Her question was for him alone, her heart tightening in her chest even as she ignored the pain of it. "You remember?"

"Yes." His eyes were hard and unflinching, his deep voice flat.

"And still you…" Sango flinched, her tight mask cracking once more to reveal a flash of wonder and pain in the dark eyes. But Kouga remained impassive, and Sango tightened her resolve once more. Using her training as a shield, she stiffened in unconscious pride. Facing the hard demand in the ookami's eyes, she squared off like they were antagonists, though her voice was mild as if she spoke of nothing more than the weather. "You deserve the truth."

"Yes." Kouga stood firm. Sango faced him, though as she spoke her eyes grew remote as if consumed with the past and not with them. The words spilled forth, at first slow, with many pauses, as if she fought her own will to speak truths never uttered, but then her voice firmed, as if something had finally broken free. Kagome dared not interrupt the litany of revelation, though she wanted to rush forward and hug the lonely pain in her friend away as her dark past was unveiled. Inuyasha remained seated, though his eyes darkened with unreadable emotion, his gaze lingering on Kouga, who appeared unmoved as Sango's voice rose and fell in an almost lilting cadence.

"I am called Sango Jennar, though my…true name…is just Sango. I was part of a specialized program…a genetics program, started by the Brotherhood of Iynisin, to breed stronger…warriors…into their…for their…deployment…their use. The Brotherhood is…a fraternity of warriors who seek…whose honor it is to…deal Death to those unworthy of Life." Sango rattled that off as if the repetition of that ideal had been drilled into her mind with relentless persistence.

"Our…their…goal…their aim…is not ours to question." Here her eyes darkened, as memory took hold. She remembered her own bright curiosity, for intelligence was bred into her along with the greater physical abilities the tong had sought to establish in her generation. A _stupid_ assassin was soon a _dead_ assassin. But her lively curiosity had tried the patience of her instructors more than once, and it had been her father who had come to deal with her intransigence. To this day, she remembered the pain of that punishment, her shock and surprise that her father, stern and unyielding and yet not a cold man, had been the one to ensure she never questioned _why_ again. And she had not, now knowing what would happen if she so dared…

Her voice took on a strange quality, as if she spoke by rote. "We are merely weapons in their hand. Trained from birth, and bred from the best genetic material available, our honor is to follow their command. The honor of our clan is held in their hands, bound by their will."

"By who's will, Sango?" Kagome burst out, the questions in her mind burning away her caution. Inuyasha's claws tightened on her thin shoulders.

"The Masters." Sango replied, her voice almost mild, her attention not on them but on something far distant and long past. "The Brotherhood is powerful. We, the tong, are merely one weapon for their hand---one of many. We do not question. We only obey. It is our honor to follow their will, and if we should be sacrificed by their command, then it only for our own incompetence and fit punishment for our true unworthiness to live. The attainment of honor lies in doing your best to fulfill their wishes, that is all need concern you…"

Her breath hitched, as another memory surged, this one of the assassin's knife turned on _her._ She should have died under the Master's command, and been grateful that his ire would allow her a quick end. Her shame was in having fought back, in having fought free and finding herself now so wholly alone, with out clan or company, brethren or honor. But then she had seen so much more of the world than the limited teachings of her childhood, and she now knew how truly _wrong_ they had been. Her triumph at life, of escaping the assassin's blade, had forever exiled her from their number…

She flinched away from that revelation, seeking the inane of her childhood to blot out the thorny pain of more recent events. "I was fourth generation, though I was the first of my father's seed to survive the stage of fertilized inception and preliminary development. My father was chosen to pass on his genes because of his strength and ability; he was one of the best among our brethren." Unconscious pride straightened her shoulders. "And I was worthy of his honor."

"He named me Sango, for the coral has special meaning to us for it outlasts the oceans in which it is supposed to dwell. Or so he told me. It was a pet name, though it later became my own. I was merely known as 4-G, my operative label, or Gen-Four, to designate what generation I came from. There were no other children of my generation who survived to adulthood. Those too weak were…destroyed…and many did not survive the rigors of early training."

"How horrible." Kagome whispered, tears sprinkling her eyes at the thought.

Sango blinked, as if surprised by the notion. Perhaps it had been, but _she_ had survived where others had not. She had been proud of that distinction, and had always strove to prove her father's faith in her. She was the best, anything less would have been unacceptable.

"Gen-Four." Inuyasha muttered under his breath. His brow quirked as he put it together. "Jennar?"

Sango nodded absently, her eyes on Kouga, who remained unmoved from his cross-armed stance.

"What about your mother?" Kagome asked. "Was she a…?"

Sango's mouth quirked, though it could not be called a smile. "I do not have a mother."

"What?" Kagome blinked.

"I was not born as _you,_ Kagome-chan." Sango seemed amused, though her body was still held in the almost unconscious aloofness of her discipline. "My father's seed was introduced into a genetically modified egg. I do not know from whence the egg came; I was never told, and I had learned not to question." She straightened, her eyes once again hidden in the past. "I was incubated in what my father called an 'iron-womb', or to be more politic, a gestation chamber. When I was old enough to live on my own, I was interred into the hatchery, where I spent the first three years of my physical growth."

Sango did not elaborate. They did not need to know of those lonely years, when she had been too young to understand why she was kept prisoner in the small, ovoid chamber. Her recall of those years was almost phenomenal, even her father had been surprised at her recollection of them. Allowed no tactile contact---lest she be influenced by weakness, and thus succumb to the emotional need of other humans, more casually developed through natural birth and the proximity of parental influence---her training had begun from the first day she had breathed air on her own.

She remembered, with a pang, this morning's waking, and how she had felt as if she were back in the safe haven of her hatchery. Her eyes flicked to Kouga's, but his gaze remained coolly detached. For the first time, she turned away from him, and spoke to the empty air around her, her back to her audience. She hurried past her childhood with such short, sketchy detail that it spoke volumes to her listeners of the harsh reality of them. "I survived, and was taken from the hatchery into the training school. I was taught, among other things, to fight. To kill. To survive.

"Few did."

Kagome's eyes burned, and she moved closer to the warmth of her hanyou mate.

"Eventually, I was allowed to know who my father was, and we were even allowed continued contact, until I moved from the training grounds to his quarters. By that time, my brother, Kohaku Gen-Eight---who was also of my father's seed, but of a different generation---had left the hatchery and been placed in the training compound. My training continued, though it was now done in the field, and I was sent with my father on many…missions."

Sango's head came up, her eyes closing. "I was proud of the fact that I was to be one of the Brotherhood of Iynisin. I passed the first Trial, and was admitted into the tong as a journeyman assassin."

"Trial?" Kagome prompted.

Sango would not look at her. "My first solo mission. My first…kill. He was a…he was human, and one who deserved to die." Her eyes darkened with stark remembrance. No matter how many targets were taken down, there was nothing as mordant as the first. Shrugging with irritation, Sango continued. "Many who do well in training cannot…pass…the Trial, and they can only expiate their shame by committing suicide. The target is often difficult, the way made unnecessarily hard. My own Trial was not without price, but I…succeeded."

Kagome shivered. Sango's voice was so flat and cold, as if she spoke of someone else and not herself. "How old were you?"

Sango blinked, recalled to their presence. She turned to face the girl, steeling herself for the revulsion that would be part of Kagome's reaction. "Ten."

"Ten?" It was Inuyasha who barked that out, staring at her in disbelief. And Kagome, surprisingly, did not look as repulsed as Sango had expected. Frightened, yes, but not reviled…

Sango shrugged slightly. Her age had not mattered. She had proven herself a warrior. Young, yes, she had been young, but she had reached a level of skill that few did at that age and the Brotherhood tested when _they_ deemed necessary. Kohaku, she remembered with a pang, was only eleven when they had been sent on that final, fatal mission, and he had been barely out of the training school…

Her eyes clouded at the bitter memory. _So much bitterness…_

She glanced away from them; unable to face them while she recited the last mission she had been given by the tong. "I was often sent with others, and on my last mission, I was sent with my father and my brother, by the Masters' orders. Kohaku…Kohaku was only eleven. He had not passed his Trial, and was still an apprentice. This was to be his first field mission, and he was so proud of that…"

She felt something bump her thigh. Sango looked down in surprise, and yellow eyes stared steadily up into hers. The wolf, large for its kind, and silver---her backrest, she recalled---whined low in its throat. Sango's fingers trembled slightly as she lightly touched the furry head.

"Sit." Kouga commanded, though his deep voice was not as hard as before. His blue eyes were intense as ever, but not as chilling. Sango turned to look at him, to see him casually sliding to the ground; a couple of wolfs taking the opportunity to settle around him. Sango nodded absently, her hand tangling in the gray wolf's fur, and followed suit. She felt more relaxed this way and less as if she were standing in front of a firing squad.

The gray wolf lay down next to her, and Sango's fingers continued to comb through his fur as if for comfort and distraction. Closing her eyes, she let the memories surround her in all their stinging poignancy.

"Our aim was simple, the target the Lord himself. _Naraku._ We were not told why or how, just that it was our honor to be chosen for such prestige. My father was pleased that my brother and I were to be included with three others of our brethren. We had worked together in the past, and one of them, Jidayu, had been my instructor in the art of the katana, and he was a master of the blade.

"Our target spent his time on Seggeth Station, which circles Kumo, the kaze youkai homeworld, though he, Naraku, was of the oni clan. The oni rule five systems, including their own, and Naraku was the current Lord of the Oni Five.

"We knew nothing of him, only that he was youkai and that he was our target. We journeyed separately, so as not to arouse suspicion. The youkai are famed for their skill at spotting ill intent---some even say they can read the mind of ningen as easily as one would read the information on a data-pad. My father had told me this was not so, but that often youkai could scent out the emotions of a man, and discern their intent from them."

Kouga and Inuyasha traded telling looks, but Sango went on, heedless of the exchange.

"I booked passage to Seggeth Station alone, and took work at a dance club there, one in which the dark lord was known to frequent. All had been arranged previously to our arrival…Jidayu came as an itinerant miner, two of the others as mere laborers. My father and Kohaku came as they were, father and son, as if on vacation. We did not interact with one another until the night we were ordered to take down the lord.

"It should have been simple. Although the nightclub was popular, and there would be interference from the lord's bodyguards, still, there were six of us. All highly trained and possessed of great skill. Perhaps we were too confident, too trusting in our abilities and our allies. It was the plan for me to distract him, the lord, and for the others to move in once we were…alone."

Kagome drew in her breath sharply at the matter-of-factness of Sango's speech. She darted a glance at Kouga, wondering his reaction, but the ookami sat like a statue, his gaze fixed on Sango's bowed head, his expression unreadable.

"The lord had…questionable…tastes, but he was not known to spurn a woman's company. It was easy for me to introduce into his drink a chemical that I knew would immobilize him. Although such measures are distasteful to a taijiya, still they were necessary for a youkai lord of Naraku's strength. But that is where I failed, for it was not Naraku who took the potion, but I."

Sango's eyes opened to reveal a wealth of pain and regret. The fire-lit world around her faded into the dark terror of that night, when her own stupid mistake had caused the death of her father, her brethren, and her honor. Having drunk the chemicals that should have been given to Naraku, she had succumbed to their influence and lay unmoving as her world had collapsed around her. The dark lord had known all along of the plot on his life, and had taken steps to ensure the attack was turned on its assailants.

Kohaku had been given a serum that made his slight will negligent, the dark lord was able to influence his mind, and when the assassins had gathered to strike at their quarry, they had been taken down, from the back, by one of their own. Kohaku's scythe had dripped with their blood, and his vacant brown eyes had held nothing in them as he slaughtered his unbelieving brethren. Sango, unable to move due to the potion's invidious effect, had watched in horror as first her father, than her teacher and her fellow assassins, had fallen under Kohaku's swinging blade.

She had not been spared; desperation had lent her weak strength, and even as she struggled to fight the potion's sluggish response and crawled to her knees on the blood-splattered floor, Kohaku had raised his scythe, the sharp edge glittering in the dimmed lights of the overhead lamps. Shadows blackened the congealing blood that dropped with a faint splatter on her back, as if to mark the weapon's next target. And down it had come, inevitable, and Sango had screamed in surprise as much from the unexpected pain as she had from the unexpected source.

_Kohaku!_

"You know…something…of what happened. I cannot…" Sango closed her eyes again, her shoulders shaking imperceptibly. "It is enough that you know."

Kagome would have spoken, but Inuyasha's claws tightened on her arm in admonition. His eyes were on Kouga, who seemed as one hardened into stone.

"Tell them." His voice was harsh, his eyes like ice.

Sango's head whipped up, startled. The flash of pain in her eyes at the youkai's command made Kagome want to run over and hug her, to tell her that it was okay, she did not need to tell them anything that would cause her such agony to remember. But Inuyasha's grip firmed on his wife, and she stayed where she was.

The gray wolf at Sango's side turned his head to softly lick her lax fingers, as if to offer his consolation. Sango drew strength from the gesture, and in the steel of Kouga's icy gaze. Unconsciously, she straightened and her voice was flat as she spoke in spare words of those dark weeks of black torment.

"I survived, as did my brother. It would have been easier if we had both perished that night, as we should have. But Naraku was not done with us, and he took out on us his dark revenge. The oni lord was sadistic, and took sexual pleasure from pain. Mind-controlled, Kohaku was his slave, unable to protest whatever use the dark lord made of him…and I…I was too weak to stop it."

A breath escaped her, and she closed her eyes, bowing her head. Her fingers were buried in the warm gray fur of her wolfly companion, almost white-knuckled with tension. "Kohaku was used…as was I."

She would say no more, even if Kouga were to demand it. Some things were best not bared to the harsh light of day, and there was many things she could not, _would _not remember. Naraku had taken vicious delight in her torment, and her weakness had been in not being able to free herself and her brother long enough to at least end their living torture with clean death. That had not been granted them.

She had prayed for salvation, and had known with growing despair that it would never come. She had prayed for death, and when that prayer had been answered, she had been too weak to accept it, her will to live had been too strong in the end...

The bitterness washed over her anew. "We were betrayed. The dark lord had known all along of the plot on his life. The Masters had used us as merely a tool to deflect the criticism in their ranks that they had too many dealings with the dark lord of the oni. Many among them were in the Taiyoukai's debt, and his association was considered too…lucrative…to lose.

"We, Kohaku and I, were abandoned. The price paid for our failure, or so we thought. But we knew nothing of what had happened among our brethren, that we were considered _expendable._ I found out only later, when I…when a Brother came, to end our dark suffering, and rescue us from the youkai's grasp.

"Or so I thought."

Sango's fingers tightened in the silver fur, and the wolf whined softly. Sango could not look at her friends; she was left alone in the dark astringency of absolute betrayal. "An assassin was sent, and ordered to ensure our silence. The price of failure has always been death. At first, I thought he was there to save me, though he had come too late to save poor Kohaku, who had died under Naraku's…use…but I, _weak_ as I was, rejoiced to see one of my brethren there. I thought…but it was not so. The assassin was there to ensure my silence, not my salvation. He tormented me with that fact, taking the time to tell me just how deeply we had been betrayed by our Masters, by the Brotherhood itself. I think he might have been as sadistic as the dark lord for he seemed to take delight in my…my shock."

Sango shook herself free of the memory, and her gaze leveled on Kouga as she continued her tale. "He tried to kill me, but did not succeed. I had been trained too well it seemed, by the Brotherhood who now sought to slay me. I turned his own knife on him, and was able to use the tools he carried with him to make my escape."

Kagome shuddered at the blandness in Sango's soft voice.

"To Station Nine?" Inuyasha asked, amber eyes dark.

"Yes." A bitter smile hovered across Sango's mouth. "I was caught as a stowaway aboard a merchanteering vessel whose destinations included the inu lord's territories. I was turned over to station authorities. I was imprisoned for weeks---the station's gendarme must have guessed I was more than just a penniless stowaway. They tried to interrogate me, but my training had been too thorough for such pitiful ploys as what they tried to use."

"Sango…" Kagome whispered in quiet horror. To be _twice_ betrayed…how could the girl have withstood it? Kagome's heart went out to her poor friend. Such pain and darkness…had Sango ever known true life? True love? True happiness? Simple trust and simple faith? Simple solace and simple security?

Sango shook her head slightly, as if to negate Kagome's pity. "Eventually, they gave up. I was turned over to the Council of Nine as a vagrant and a 'hostile element'. The Council decreed that I owed the station for their _hospitality_ of the past few months, and as I had no funds with which to pay, they sentenced me to Identity Alteration, where I would work off my debt as a _'_contributing member of society'."

Inuyasha growled. His eyes were slightly misted with crimson. "They _dared…"_

Sango sighed, inattentive to their reactions. "Later, I was sent here, to Yoro, and…you know the rest."

"And Kagura?" Kouga asked. "What had she to do with you?"

For a moment, Sango looked confused. Then her eyes cleared as she recalled the elegant woman who had confronted her yesterday…had it been only yesterday? Time seemed distorted, and recollection was hazy at best. "Kagura? She was there, at the cabin. I thought it would be you, my lord, and Inuyasha, returning from Yoro. I did not recognize her then, though I knew of her and could recognize her now. I had seen her when I…I was on Seggeth. She called me by name, and held up…something…something that flashed."

Sango's brow furrowed. She could recall nothing from that moment to this morning, when she had awakened in the ookami lord's arms.

"It's Kouga." The deep voice was harsh as he swept to his feet.

Sango blinked in at the sudden change in topic. "My lor…?"

_"Kouga."_ The youkai nearly snarled at her.

Sango flinched.

"Are you _insane?"_ Kagome jumped out of her mate's embrace to confront the ookami. Her anger flared all out of proportion, her overridden emotions seeking outlet. She wanted to hit something, anything, and wouldn't mind starting on that officious wolf!

"Kagome." Inuyasha growled.

"What!" Kagome whirled on her mate, arms fisted on her hips with indignation.

_"Sit,_ koi." Inuyasha rarely used that tone of voice on her, and it made Kagome blink in surprise, taken aback by his order.

"Huh?"

Inuyasha grabbed his mate and pulled her will-she, nill-she, into his lap, where he growled at her abortive struggles as his arms tightened minutely. Kagome finally desisted, especially when one white-clawed hand came up to cover her mouth when she would have protested her misuse with a few vocal explosions. She settled for glaring instead, her gaze impartially divided between her mate and his ookami friend.

Kouga planted himself squarely in front of Sango. With a sharp wave of his hand, he ordered the gray wolf to leave. Sango felt the departure keenly, but she knew it would have come sooner or later. A Taiyoukai could never permit the presence of an admitted taijiya and lethal assassin in his claimed territories, let alone his own homeworld. The ookami lord might not hate her, but he must surely despise her for the revelations of her past. She knew, with a sinking heart, that he would ask her to leave this beautiful place where she had found such peace, and while it would wound her soul like nothing had since Kohaku's death, she knew she must somehow carry on. If not for herself, than for her brother's forgotten memory and for the vengeance that should be burning inside of her right now but which was strangely absent. Instead, she merely felt weary and sad. Her path, forever alone, had been mapped out for her before she was even born…

Kouga's voice was hard, biting. "You know nothing of Kagura's warning? Of the tong's plans?"

Sango's mouth fell open in astonishment. Very real confusion turned her brown eyes almost cinnamon. "What plans?"

"She speaks truth." Inuyasha growled, his hand still covering his wife's mouth. Kagome's muffled indignation made him flash a toothy grin in her direction and kiss the top of her tousled black head.

"So her scent tells me." Kouga growled back, the slight crimson color of his eyes fading into the intensity of blue seen only in autumnal skies. A clawed hand reached out and grabbed Sango's small wrist. He pulled, and she was jerked to her feet so fast she stumbled and would have fallen if the ookami hadn't absorbed her forward motion with his own solid weight.

Cheeks flaming at her clumsiness, Sango tried to step back, but Kouga now had hold of her shoulders. His grip tightened as she shied away, and his blue eyes stared into her widened gaze with the arrogance only a true youkai could summon.

"Your past means nothing to me. I now claim you as my woman."

Sango staggered, falling against him in shock.

Blue eyes glinting his amusement, Kouga hauled her up the firm length of him and kissed her---hard.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its other characters. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE_

WARNING! Dark imagery and adult situations, foul language and hentai houshi.

_CHAPTER ELEVEN_

"You can't be serious."

It should have been Sango who burst out with that remark, but it was Kagome, although she more than spoke for the rather startled taijiya.

Inuyasha was no help, just sitting there, grinning like an idiot. He, at least, had finally let her go and Kagome jumped up out of his lap so he didn't get any more ideas about shutting her up. She had quite a few things to say to that crazy wolfling…though for some reason she couldn't really think of anything right now because Sango had stepped in to say them for her.

"Kouga…I don't understand. What do you mean---" Sango leaned away from the glint-eyed youkai, who still held her in his strong arms.

"What's not to understand?" Kouga asked, shrugging with the same infuriatingly male arrogance Inuyasha often displayed. "You are my woman. I claim you."

"But…"

Blue eyes lightening, the ookami would have drawn Sango in for another kiss to stop her weak protest, but the taijiya had recovered more than just her memory when she awoke this morning. With an almost dancer's like twist that was beyond Kagome's untrained eye, the girl slithered free and now stood some few feet away from him, one hand held up to stop Kouga's immediate step towards her.

"Kouga, I can't think when you grab me like that." Sango seemed suddenly honest to a fault, but her words had both youkai and hanyou grinning toothily.

Kagome blinked.

It couldn't be. If Sango was serious…than there may be more to her feelings than the taijiya could admit to right now, having _just_ this morning regained her lost memories and once again having to deal with the harrowing revelation of them. Kouga's timing couldn't have been more off. Leave it to a _man_…er…_youkai_…to muck things up.

"What's to think about? You are my woman." Kouga was certainly single-minded about that fact.

"But I am a taijiya." Sango shook her head so that the long black tail of her hair swayed from side to side as the obdurate ookami tried to step closer again.

"I already told you---your past means nothing to me." Kouga finally halted, crossing his arms over his chest. His blue eyes were intense as he stared at the beautiful girl, who could not hold his penetrating gaze with her own for long.

Kagome heaved a sigh of exasperation. Was _she_ the only one with brains enough to see what was going on here? She wasn't averse to the idea of Kouga claiming Sango…she rather liked the notion, they might just prove good for one another, and certainly Sango needed someone who could love her so _determinedly._ But the ookami would shoot his own foot if he pressed his suit now. Impatient with the stubborn clod, she spoke bluntly. "Kouga, you're going too fast."

Sango shot her a grateful look, which turned to chagrin as she really absorbed Kagome's words. Frowning, the taijiya replied earnestly, "Kagome, he should not go there at _all."_

"See?" Ignoring Sango for the moment, Kagome went over to stare up into the ookami's blue eyes, laying on the puppy-eyed-plea a little too thick. But would anything less work with the stubborn wolfling?

Kouga cocked his head to one side, thoughtfully regarding Sango's stiff form of dissent. "Perhaps I can be patient in claiming her."

Kagome sighed; thinking her words might have gotten through to him.

"Still, it changes nothing. She's still my woman."

Kagome wanted to hit him. She settled for seething, and giving him a murderous glare. Deciding that the wolf lord was too ornery to deal with right now, she settled for ignoring him. Turning her back, she went to hug her poor friend, who might be more amenable to taking her comfort and advice right now than she had been before. Sango shivered when Kagome first touched her, but Kagome deliberately misinterpreted it.

"Come, Sango-chan. You must be cold. Let's get you a thermal." Deliberately ignoring the girl's withdrawal, Kagome all but shoved Sango forward, past the cross-armed ookami and her grinning idiot of a hanyou husband.

"You don't…despise me? For…" Sango whispered, her body stiff and brown eyes so wondering it made Kagome's heart clench with the pity of it.

Kagome knew Sango was asking about the revelations of her past, but Kagome chose to misconstrue her question. "Of course not! How can I? Inuyasha's only a half-demon, but he's still more youkai than human. There's nothing wrong in loving a youkai…"

"Kagome, I meant---" Sango earnestly tried to explain, but Kagome just smiled serenely.

"That too." She gave the young taijiya a firm hug of hard reassurance, and then filched a folded blanket from beside the dying fire. Their abandoned breakfast was scattered around the ashes, but nobody would be interested in finishing it now. She'd leave it up to Inuyasha to see if he wanted to pack up the leftovers…

"Then you don't…" Sango still needed reassurance. What had the poor girl's childhood been like to have such need of it?

"Of course not, silly. Like Kouga said, your past means nothing to us. It's in the _past."_ Kagome distinctly emphasized the last word.

Sango bit her lip, accepting the thermal blanket Kagome placed over her shoulders with almost automatic acquiesce. She shivered again, and spoke to her drawn up knees. "Thank you, Kagome-chan."

Kagome frowned. "I'm not about to have any of that nonsense, Sango. Don't you go thinking you should be grateful for us liking you just the way you are, past _and _present. Got that?"

Brown eyes fierce, she even shook the silent taijiya's shoulders before giving her another hard hug. Sango managed a shy smile, which Kagome returned brightly.

"Now that _that's_ taken care of, we should see about getting home."

"Home…" Sango's eyes lightened. Kagome was amazed anew at how many colors were mixed in the deep brown depths. Cinnamon and chocolate, chestnut and hazel. Amazing how much emotion was now present in the girl's opened gaze…

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The two males had been busy while the girls had been diverted. Kouga had neatly packed everything up while the wolves made a meal of their abandoned scraps. Kagome turned to see Inuyasha sprinkling dirt over their spent fire. He gave her a smirking wink, and said blandly. "Are you ready then? The skimmer's back at the cabin."

"Piggy-back?" Kagome's eyes danced while Sango's brow furrowed in confusion.

Inuyasha scowled. He hated when she said it that way. He wasn't a damn pig.

"Hanyou-back, then." Kagome's brown eyes twinkled, and she sashayed over to give her irritated hanyou a quick kiss of apology. A roaming hand, claws held carefully away from scratching the delicate skin, caressed one arm lightly. Kagome shivered with pure longing, and said impishly, "Once we get home, I'll need a bath."

"You'll need company for that bath." Inuyasha's words were almost trite, but Kagome responded to the invitation in his golden-amber eyes with a hungry promise of her own.

Sango blushed to see them so blatant, though she should have been used to it by now. Inuyasha and Kagome had never hidden the fact that they loved each other passionately.

"Ready?" Kouga was suddenly in front of her, extending a clawed hand to help her up. Sango again felt overwhelmed by his presence…he was so earthy, so _youkai._ He was wearing some type of fur and armor she had never seen him in before, and it made him seem all the more…._male._ The brief pelt he wore swathed around his hips left most of his legs bare, and Sango found her eyes fastened on the hard muscles of thigh revealed. She flushed with embarrassment, shying away from the riot of emotions he caused within her.

Ignoring his helpful gesture, she lightly sprang to her feet. Something flickered in the deep blue eyes, but the wolf lord seemed more amused by her contumacy than angry. "I like independence in my woman." His heated breath whispered across the back of her neck, and Sango stiffened as he sauntered past, his look one of pure innocence.

"I am not…" She started, but gave it up. The ookami was stubborn, but she knew when she was right. Kouga was just feeling sorry for her, a reaction caused by the recitation of her scarred past. His pity would erode in time, and he would come to his senses.

Or so she told herself.

With a hullooing farewell, the pack of wolves departed, streaming out of the cavern in a mix of furry gray and brown bodies. The caves seemed suddenly larger, the cleared space echoing and empty. Kouga strolled after them, Inuyasha following with the ookami's carry-sack. Kagome, her black hair tangling around her face, gave Sango a reassuring squeeze of her fingers. "Come on, Sango-chan."

Sango followed the other girl outside, blinking as the sunlight blossomed before eyes used to the dimmer shadows of the abandoned cave. It took her a minute to blink the glare away, and when she had, she felt her mouth fall open as she saw Kagome scrambling onto Inuyasha's bent back. The hanyou hitched his mate up higher on his hips, and Kagome giggled as she tightened her long legs around his narrow waist. Arms hugged over his shoulders, she whispered something in a white ear that had his amber eyes glowing. Knees bent, the hanyou paused before taking off for Kagome to smile back at her friend, "Come on Sango! It's the quickest way to get home!"

Inuyasha took off, his first leap taking them high up into the surrounding trees.

Sango's eyes were inevitably drawn to Kouga, who grinned toothily.

"I can walk." She heard herself saying even as her cheeks flamed.

Kouga smirked.

"I _like_ walking." Sango insisted, making good her declaration by stepping forward. But Kouga had other ideas, and before she knew it, he had swept her up in his arms, cradling her slight form to his chest like a small child. Sango clutched convulsively at the strong shoulders as she felt herself being hefted up, the air current pressing down against her so that her long hair whipped behind Kouga's shoulder as the earth fell far away beneath them.

He laughed at her reaction, and his claws tightened on her side and knees, where he held her firmly anchored against him. He arced down, measuring the distance to the next buoyant treetop. He preferred running along the ground, but wasn't averse to using the treetops as Inuyasha did.

"I can walk!" Sango reminded him mulishly, not liking how helpless she felt in his strong arms. One clawed hand curved along her back, the claw-tips almost touching the side of her breast. She could feel the hard, armored plate he used as chain mail, and sensed the rugged maleness that exuded from his being like a constant youkai aura of reminder.

Kouga sprang off of the tree and was back up in the air like a shot.

"I can free myself!" Sango glared, loosening her convulsive hold from around his shoulders to touch his curled claws with her slender fingers.

Kouga flashed her a grin, his blue eyes glinting. His own black tail fanned in the breeze of his passage as he easily replied, "You fall now, you fall a long way."

Sango, of course, chose just that moment to look down.

And down.

And _down._

The earth was a patchwork of differing colors beneath them, the interlacing trees looking like mere field brush. There were even some wispy clouds misting between them and the earth far, far below.

Sango's stomach knotted, and she convulsively tightened her arms around Kouga's neck as he hit the top of his ranging arc and started falling fast to the ground below. Sango buried her head in one broad shoulder, thinking the forestwas coming rather too quickly up to meet them. But Kouga only laughed, charmed by how she was nearly strangling him, and took off from the rustling tree as it dipped and swayed beneath his momentary weight.

"You're my woman, Sango. I would never let anything ever happen to you!" He growled in her ear, his arms tightening as he sprang free.

Sango was going to have nothing more to do with the crazy demon, and she would tell him so…once they had safely reached the ground again!

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"Mr. Genuine?"

A dark brow rose in sardonic surprise. He had not used that name in some time. It sounded like some type of nudie dancer's cheesy title, and although Miroku wasn't averse to having the ladies think he_might_ be a professional male prostitute, it wasn't entirely sophisticated enough for his tastes.

Dark blue eyes measured the small, dour man who bowed before him, a serving tray with various glasses held out a little too aggressively for true discretion. Either the man was an idiot, and wanted him to take a hand-written note from the tray, or he was using the glasses and the tray as an over-obvious prop for a rather mundane disguise.

The tray wobbled slightly as the man's attention wavered. He grasped at something stuck in his boot as he swept back up from his grandiose bow.

Not a message, then. Or---perhaps it was. Though the messenger was far too clumsy a tool for them to have used…

Miroku rolled out of the way as the small blast gun held in the dour man's hand fired a silent shot at the cushioned couch he had just been sitting on. His dinner companion, a breathy blonde of rather lascivious tastes but dubious intelligence, just sat and screamed, her carefully manicured hands waving futilely in front of her face at the shock of the sudden, silent explosion of rich velvet padding around her. She stared in horror at the ragged hole that appeared in the cushioned back of the couch beside her, where her handsome male companion had sat just seconds before.

Miroku, under the table that the curving couch surrounded, looked up at the long, tanned legs in front of him and grinned. The naughty blonde had deliberately forgotten to wear any underwear, and he paused to kiss the back of one knee in silent regret. It would have been a pleasurable experience to have spent the rest of the night finding what else she had forgotten to wear under that satiny gown…

The blonde's screech hit a new height in hysteria as she tried to kick out at him, not knowing who or what was attacking her from below. The dour man swore in disgust as her continued screams brought startled attention their way. His target was not the blonde, however, and he merely slapped her sharply as he scrambled over the table, having caught sight of Miroku disappearing under the next. Snarling out a curse, he fired wildly as the blonde beat him back, trying to push him off of her with surprising force.

"Police! Help! _Police!"_ Someone was shouting, and others took up the call as another woman screamed.

Miroku hid a grin as he rolled under another table, easily avoiding a third shot as the dour man scrambled away from the blonde's manicured claws which were now grasping for his throat. Damn, but the blonde could scream. It would have been nice to have heard those cries singing out his name in the throes of passion, but what was a poor monk to do? Regrettably, the blonde would probably never give him a second chance. The dour man had seen to _that._

Sigh.

The fourth shot was a bit too close for comfort and the frightened diners whose table under which he hid abruptly decided to get rid of his cover by knocking the table over in their haste to get away. With another long-suffering sigh, Miroku swept to his feet in a single, lithe movement; his hands unsheathing the small poniards he always carried in boot and thigh. Palming the first dagger, he let it fly at his assailant even as he slid to one side, avoiding another sweeping blast aimed in his direction. There was a sharp cry behind him and a dull _thud_ as the body hit the floor.

Damn. He hated when things got messy. That's what happened when you employed fools and bunglers to do the job of an expert…

He was about to let his second knife fly when he heard the muted _thump_ of another body hitting the floor. Ignoring the rising screams and muffled shouts behind him, Miroku stopped and stared in surprise. The dour man, small gun flung aside, had sprawled over backwards, the hilt of Miroku's flung dagger glittering in the overheads, right in the middle of the man's throat.

An expert throw, and he hadn't even been trying.

Miroku grinned, neatly sliding his second poniard back into his boot. Stepping over the shattered china cutlery from the overturned tables, he bent over the man long enough to retrieve his first.

_Waste not, want not. _

The muffled shouts were getting closer, and he could hear the shrieking peal of the gendarme's siren. Time to make himself scarce. The last thing he wanted was the authorities down on him, sticking their long noses into his private business and mucking up his plans with their inept questions and bungling investigations. They might uncover more than they would care to know…

Dodging for the nearest exit, Miroku made good his escape. He had a few questions of his own…like who had hired that fool and how had they found him? The only people who might want him dead were the Brotherhood of Iynisin, and they had given up on him some time ago. He was Gen-One, after all, one of the first of their specially trained, specially bred human cannon fodder. He had been too smart to stick around, preferring to keep his skin in one piece to sacrificing it for the good of the clanHe smirked, remembering how nauseatingly insipid that tripe had been going down. He hadn't bought any of that crap from the time he had been sent on his first mission, his Trial of testing, and had used the chance to escape their officious grasp.

Why would the Brotherhood be hunting him now? It made no sense, unless…

He paused for a moment, deep blue eyes growing thoughtful. He would have to start asking a few of his own questions, perhaps make a few cautious inquiries into places where discretion was the better part of valor. Consumed with idle speculations, he carelessly crossed the street, away from the screaming chaos behind him. The siren blast of the incoming gendarme squealed over the hoarse shouts and sobbing bewilderment beyond. He saw no sign of the breathy blonde, and that was his only true regret.

The evening wasn't a total loss, however, for he spied a petite little redhead, drawn by the noise and her own naïve curiosity, give him a shy little smile as he passed by her. Blue eyes lighting, Miroku stopped long enough to get her name and access number. The next few days might prove too busy for him to pursue much of anything other than the information he needed, but he was always willing to take time out for the ladies…

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Kouga landed lightly on the balls of his feet. Arrogantly assessing his distance from the cave-mouth, he thought he had made good time. He had landed neatly just two lengths from the cabin's front steps, but Inuyasha had already beaten him inside.

He grinned down at the girl who still clutched at him tightly. He waited for her to realize that they were safely on the ground, and she didn't disappoint him. Wide brown eyes blinked once as she slowly lifted her head from where it had nestled into his shoulder. With a muffled oath that had him grinning because it was so unexpected from the almost unnaturally reserved girl he knew, she twisted out of his hold.

Damn, his woman was worthy.

He wasn't as keen on letting her go, but he had heard Kagome's words and absorbed them. Sango would take some careful handling, some damn hard patience, and quite a bit of coaxing to come around to his way of thinking. He trusted it wouldn't take too long, though. The girl had feelings for him---he could scent them. She was drawn to him; she just wasn't ready to admit it to herself just yet.

He liked his woman's stubbornness. It certainly made a nice change from the usual women who just threw their selves at him as if he were some kind of prize. Maybe he was…he was a Taiyoukai after all, and there weren't _that_ many of them around. Still, Sango was a refreshing change. And an ookami didn't mind the hunt or the chase. In fact, they relished it. She would provide him some sport, and once he caught her, it would be worth every effort to make the stubborn onna his own woman in truth. She would come to see things his way…eventually.

He wasn't too worried over the reaction of his clan, either. His choice of mate was _his_ choice, after all. The old battle-axes and stagnating traditionalists might snarl about it, but they would growl under their breath and out of his sight, lest they rouse his wrath. The younger ookami had no quarrel with his rather progressive ideas about ningen and youkai being of equal caste. Many of them shared his views. The old traditions should have been overturned centuries ago. They were built on archaic reasoning, and their waning support was crumbling around the edges. Sango as his Lady would do the stuffed-up youkai nobility good, and as for any children they might have…

He grinned at the thought. Inuyasha had never shown any particular weakness by being a hanyou. Kouga would be proud to have a son as strong as the inu half-breed.

Sango made good her flight, disappearing into the house. Following the girl leisurely, Kouga sauntered up the steps. He was abruptly halted at the front door as Kagome thrust a small bucket of water into his belly. Kouga sucked in his breath as water sloshed over the side at Kagome's ungracious impact.

"Feet." She ordered, handing over the bucket and a scrap of soap. Raising a thick black brow at the onna's temerity, Kouga looked down. He wore his usual hunting garb and armor, and both he and Inuyasha had gone their preferred way---without shoes. His furred leg braces were held to the arch of his narrow feet by simple straps, leaving the callused toe and heel free for easier purchase.

Kagome smiled cheekily. Sighing, Kouga sat down on the rough-hewn bench nestled against the cabin's wall and proceeded to wash the dirt off with single-minded thoroughness. Leaving his leg-braces to dry in the crisp autumn sun, he hefted bucket and soap back inside with him.

Kagome cast a pointed look at his toes and he wiggled them for her inspection. Giggling, the girl handed him a towel even as she took the used bucket from his grasp. "Shower." She ordered, pointing him down the stunted hall.

"I know the way." Kouga growled, slightly annoyed by the girl's despotism. His attention was caught, however, as Sango made a dash from the bathing room to her own, her towel slipping slightly to show a healthy glimpse of both thigh and cleavage. Kouga's light blue eyes darkened in appreciation as the long-legged taijiya disappeared behind her door.

Kagome poked him in the side. She leveled a glare his way, reminding him, "Shower."

"What is this? An assembly line?" Kouga growled, stalking toward the only sanitary unit available in the small cabin.

"Me and Inuyasha still have to bathe, you know." Kagome groused. "And we might be in there for awhile."

Kouga quirked a brow at her as he slid open the resinwood door. "That's the way of it, eh?"

Kagome blushed, but threw the scrap of soap at him. Catching it, he gave her a smug look before sliding the door closed. He was as quick about his absolutions as he could be. Using the towel Kagome gave him to dry the ends of his wet black hair; he scowled at the steamed mirror above the washbasin. One curse about having long hair was that it took forever to dry. Idly combing his fingers through the heavy length, he wondered if he had thought to pack a comb among the things in his hastily assembled carry-sack. Inuyasha had hauled it back to the cabin for him, and Kouga wasn't sure where it was.

Leaving his armor off, Kouga donned his furred kilt and draped the damp towel over his shoulders as he left the san-unit. He hauled the hard chest-plate with him and dumped it on the couch as he emerged into the main sitting area. Inuyasha thumped down the steps from his room above with an impatient growl, disappearing into the bathroom with nary a glance in his direction. Kouga smirked to see his friend's haste, and looked down at Kagome, who paused beside him.

The onna eyed him appraisingly. Kouga frowned at her, the tanned muscles in his hard chest rippling as he crossed his arms to glare down at her.

Kagome tweaked a long black tress that hung loose and damp down his chest. "You have pretty hair. You should leave it down more often."

Kouga gave her a sour look.

"There's some meat left in the storage unit. Help yourself." Kagome smiled back.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha barked from the back room.

Kagome rolled her eyes, and only paused long enough to add with a worried frown. "About Sango, Kouga---go slow."

"Slow, huh?" The smile that quirked the ookami's lips could only be called wolfishly lusty.

It was Kagome's turn to look sour. "I don't mean in _that_ way, you oaf."

"_Kagome!"_ Inuyasha was all but howling now.

Kagome blushed. "Oops. Gotta go. See you later!"

She scooted, and the bathroom door slid closed behind her with a decided _slam._

Kouga grinned at the hanyou's choler, and as his belly was reminding him that breakfast had been interrupted and quite a long time ago, he helped himself to the dried jerky in the refrigerated storage unit. Still hungry, he pilfered a few meat-rolls and helped himself to one of Inuyasha's rare Golshteinen beers. The hanyou jealously guarded his stash, but he was a little too busy at the moment to know what wouldn't hurt him. Kouga would order in some more, though the cost of the heavy brew was far more than its worth, in his opinion.

By the time he had finished his meal, his hair had dried somewhat. Kouga idly searched for his carry-sack and could not find it. Cursing the distracted hanyou under his breath, he then searched for a comb, to no avail. A sudden thought had him grinning, and before he could think twice about it, he was at Sango's door, tapping lightly.

There was a muffled inquiry within, and Kouga took that as permission. Sliding back the light resinwood, he stepped into the shadowy chamber. Sango, who had been lying back on her now-coverless bed, sat up with blushing surprise.

Kouga liked the fact that his woman could blush so easily, and he could scent out the sudden rise in her emotions, as she became aware of his half-naked state. Blinking brown eyes, she tried to stare anywhere but at him, and only succeeded in blushing harder.

Kouga took his time looking her over, comparing her now to when first he had met her. She had filled out over he past few months, and the hinting promise of beauty that her narrowed frame implied had blossomed into fact. Her skin, so pale before, was now healthy and tanned where her normal attire left it bare. She wore little more than a sleeveless top at the moment, and her skin was more creamy than pale where cloth typically hid it from the sun. Her hair, long and thick and slightly curling, hung free down her back and shoulders, the faint hint of brown in the ebon tresses adding a reddened tint to the dark color in the setting sun's light. There were shadows under her eyes, probably from the exacting rigor of the past few hours, but the hollowness of her cheeks had fleshed out into firm lines. The bounty of curves beneath her sleeping top had Kouga rubbing the side of his jaw absently as he stared, light blue eyes darkening.

Sango fidgeted under his telling gaze, and that broke the spell. Kouga shook himself slightly, and leaned back against the door, adopting a carelessly negligent attitude he did not at all feel.

"So…" He growled. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Her voice was a mere scrap of a whisper. With his sensitive youkai ears, he could more than hear her, but it was too good an opportunity to let pass by.

"What was that?" He stalked closer, pretending to lean in to better understand her.

"Er…I'm fine." Sango said, slightly louder. She blinked as she realized how much closer he had come to the wide bed. She surreptitiously edged to the side furthest from him.

Kouga didn't like how she tried to put distance between them. Damn, but she was skittish. Well, he could hardly blame her. She had experienced more than enough shit at youkai hands to make her nervous. Still, the easiest way to get her used to him was for him to make damn certain she had few opportunities _not_ to.

And where his woman was concerned, Kouga could be quite determined.

So he deliberately sat on the bed. Sango started scooting for the other side like no man's business, but Kouga easily stopped that by pulling on the thin sheet wrapped around her. He pretended to merely pluck at the thin surface, though he used his youkai strength to haul her back several inches with each 'pluck'. He managed a thoughtful frown, though the gleam couldn't be kept from his blue eyes. "This the only blanket you have? It gets chilly at night around here."

"It's okay…oof!" Sango managed as she was nearly turned halfway over by his last pluck and pull.

Kouga snorted. Sango blinked up at him, the dark line of the scarlet tattoo above her eyes making her lashes appear that much fuller. "There should be another covering in the chest, you know."

Sango frowned at his jovial tone.

_Don't overdo it, wolf!_ Kouga chided himself as he quickly crossed the room to open the chest. Fishing the heavy blanket from the bottom, his sensitive nose wrinkled at the smell of it. Who in all the seven starred hells had put _mulberries_ between the folds? The damn things had been a favorite of one of his nurse's; it seemed as if Sango liked them as well. Man, but the remembered stench hadn't improved over time. He would just have to suck it up, though he put serious thought into opening the window to allow some fresh air in to waft out the stink of dried mulberry.

Upon consideration, it wasn't such a bad idea. Sango had never seemed bothered by the fresh air, and if it got downright chilly as the night descended, it did his cause no harm. Fighting back a grin, Kouga paused to release the window's catch and snick it back.

"What are you…?" Sango watched him from a knees-drawn up position in the middle of the bed. She had unrolled herself from the sheet---probably in reaction to his hauling her over with it---and Kouga got a good view of her long, nicely muscled legs that way.

His toothy grin was purely ookami.

Thinking better of it, she pulled the sheet back up.

Pretending not to notice, Kouga unrolled his prize, fluttering it out across the wide mattress. Lifting an edge to slide beneath, he caught Sango's startled shock and thought better of it.

_Damn._

Expression wry, he settled gingerly on top of the blanket, which made Sango relax minutely. Not that she still wasn't holding herself with stiff tension, but she didn't seem as ready to bolt.

Man, this was going to be hard.

"What are you…" Sango broke off as he relaxed back against the headboard. Crossing his arms over his chest and his legs at the ankle seemed to make the jumpy girl relax even more. He could sense how exhausted she was, and if he were just a little more patient, she would soon fall asleep. Then he might be able to snuggle under the covers with her, if he were careful not to rouse her to waking.

Satisfied with that plan, Kouga decided to hurry it on a bit. "I want to make sure you get to sleep."

He waited.

She stared at him, brown eyes opaque in the growing shadows as the twilight slowly encroached. The wind stirred restlessly outside the window, making a whispering descant in the background. Sango continued to study him, to the point where Kouga wanted to twitch under that unflinching, shadowed gaze.

_Go slow._ He reminded himself with a grimace.

"You look different with your hair down." Sango murmured sleepily.

Kouga frowned. Hadn't Kagome said something like that? Damn, onna were confusing creatures. It was the last thing he would have expected Sango to say.

"So do you." He replied, for lack of anything else to answer. Though it was true. He liked the way her black hair fanned out around her on the pillow as she nestled under the covers. He thought how it might be to run his claws through it, to see if the texture was as silky as he remembered…

"You confuse me, Kouga." She muttered more to herself as her eyes slowly closed and a deep sigh whispered from her still frame as she sunk into sleep.

Kouga's blue eyes glinted. He could say the same, though he was more than willing to find out _why_ she played such havoc with his senses. He waited with almost unnatural patience until the taijiya's breaths had slowed into deeper slumber. Trained as she was, he had no doubt that she could wake at the slightest movement in her room that she felt somewhere deep in her subconscious did not belong. He was counting on the fact, though, that while _she_ might be in denial about accepting him, her deeper subconscious was _not._ Her scent could not lie to him, and her body had already accepted him, if her _self_ had not.

Taking care, Kouga slid under the covers, almost predatory in how slow he kept his advance. With ookami stealth, he inched himself toward her, and was delightfully surprised when she instinctively rolled toward him in her sleep. With growing confidence, he snaked one arm around her shoulders to drag her closer. He froze when she muttered in her sleep, but then relaxed as she nestled herself against the hollow of his shoulder. As the clouds slowly withdrew, admitting the rising first moon's light to creep into the shadowed room, Sango slowly sprawled herself across his chest, one hand splaying against his right pectoral as she lay her cheek against the other. Her silky hair fanned out behind her, and Kouga slowly drew his arms down to gently hold her to him. Sleep inched across his mind, and he nuzzled the top of her bent head, breathing in her own unique scent and the cursed stench of mulberries that tickled along his nose. The day had been a long, harrowing one, and the next would not be much better, as he strove to discover just what the youkai Kagura's warning to him might bring.

But that was for tomorrow, and right now he was content to be exactly where he was. Man, but it felt good to hold his woman in his arms this way…

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not much in the way of plot development, but a sweet interlude that I could not keep out. Much gratitude to the people who take time to post a review, I myself am pretty bad about writing them. Thank you very much! A few side notes: Fairia, I have missed you lady! And you may be knee-deep in weeds, but you have Inuyasha on the nose. I'm looking forward to reading more of "A Ripple in Still Waters" and when the fart are you going to do that sequel to "Stronger"? BlackSand, I have not read Huxley's "Brave New World", but it sounds really interesting. I will have to check him out. Iris, you hit the nail on the head, though I will explain more of Sesshoumaru's involvement and the Brotherhood's duplicity in later chapters. Thank you, Coiled Iris, for wondering when Miroku would make an appearance. I was not going to write him in this story, even after reading your review, but he decided to surprise me, the devious devil, and I have suddenly seen the light on some incredible new plot twists. (Does the twisty dance) Thank you plot bunnies!

Fate


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star-crossing AU universe. K/S I/K

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, foul language, adult situations and issues.

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Our plans have been betrayed."

"How do you know this?"

The first man did not like the supercilious sneer sported by the second. With thin-lipped anger held tightly in check, he said mysteriously, "We have our ways."

The indolent youkai lordling did not bother to hide his contempt. "You cannot know everything, ningen."

At any other time, the master would have wiped that smirk off of the young lord's youkai features with the sharper end of his dagger. The youkai would have sported a smile of a bloodier kind, across his white neck from pointed ear to pointed ear. But he had not risen to the level of Master Assassin by being swayed by the momentary pleasure of idle revenge. Words, when used correctly, could be as sharp as any blade, and just as wounding.

"You are but a messenger, boy. I do not have to waste my time explaining myself to you. You will advise your _master _that we are well aware of the problem and have already taken steps to remedy it."

The youkai seethed, for the dour man's words had hit home. He was young for his kind, and still foolish enough to resent it being brought to his august attention. "We should have never made pact with such as _you, _ningen!"

The man allowed a faint smile to hover across the corners of his mouth. The foolish brat had given much away with that statement. There had been rumors that their youkai allies were growing restless. The death of the one they sought had taken too long, in their high-and-mighty opinion. The youkai noblesse played their stupid games of honor and intrigue but they were all the same. Impatient savages barely restrained by a crude polish of civility. They could not totally eradicate the bestial brutality of their true natures.

_Filthy animals. _

Perhaps those babbling fools of the Destiny of Man were right. Perhaps it _was_ man's destiny to rid the universe of the old youkai Lords and seize control over the settled galaxies for themselves. Perhaps it was _past_ time something like that happened. It would certainly make dealing with the universe at large a whole hell of a lot easier, but then again, without the youkai's bloody games of political intrigue, his organization would frankly be out of a job, and a rather lucrative one at that.

Not all of them were agreed as to whether they should continue to support the old youkai nobility, using their petty little games and squabbles to fill the clan's coffers. There were some, not many, who even spoke of breaking away from their more traditional roles, even spoke of taking contracts outside the old, accepted avenues and sources. The dissidents could not conceive how much money those 'traditional' contracts brought in, how beneficial the youkai's bloodthirsty games actually were. They were young and idealistic, prattling on about their tarnished honor and similar such trash.

Still, while both few and foolish, the dissidents were attracting more and more support among the brethren. They were gaining in strength, and division among the Brotherhood's ranks disturbed the master more than he cared to admit. There was far more at stake than this pathetic little youkai lordling could ever know or even understand.

There were questions being raised in Council even now over the deaths of too many assassins, the disappearance of key operatives, and the growing disquiet among the general ranks. The younger brethren were disenchanted and getting restless. That would have to be curtailed. Too much was at stake to risk discovery. The one and only thing that could make the master wake up in the middle of the night and break out into a cold sweat was the thought that his brothers might discover just exactly what it was he had been up to, and would then turn on him as traitor.

It was a chilling thought. Revenge in the assassin's guild was not a dish he would ever want served him.

Perhaps it was time to tighten their ranks, and consolidate his power. Even, perhaps, time to seize control. He had to show the undecided and the dithering that it was _his_ faction that stood the strongest within the divided ranks of the Brotherhood of Iynisin…

That was why this particular commission was so important. There had been a lot of quiet grumbling over even listening to the Taiyoukai's proposition. But it had fit in so nicely with their own plans, and now that Lord Naraku was dead, it was smart to curry favor with some of the other youkai Lords. This Kouga had done enough sneering at traditional youkai privileges and purity---not to mention, _superiority_---to offend many of those stiff youkai snobs, all who were now snarling for his death.

The master knew fell well that the inu Lord was only taking advantage of the situation. He sought to curry favor of his own, bringing many into his debt, and to thus consolidate his own power among his youkai brethren. The master could easily understand the cold logic behind that inu Lord's ambitions. What was one sacrifice in the face of many?

The inu Lord could simply let the gossiping whispers abound that it was his half-breed brother's defection to the wolf clan that had given rise to his righteous wrath and had him seeking the ookami Lord's death as fitting retribution. Family honor was a touchy subject among the youkai-kind, and many of them would chalk his motives up to such an inane reason. The master knew better.

Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Inu, was one cold, calculating bastard. He had _allowed_ word to slip out that he now sought the ookami's death. He might have even directed the rumors be started himself among his insipid and insignificant Council of Nine---who were but a pathetic excuse for the humans under his rule to think they actually had a voice in their own governance. Everyone knew how pathetic the lie was, they just never spoke of it.

Yet another demonstration of just how cool a customer that youkai Lord really was. He was a past master in the art of manipulating events and human---or youkai---nature to suit his own aims. He was one cold bastard, and he made the master more nervous than he would ever admit to any of his colleagues. Lord Naraku had been a crass, sadistic demon who had swelled the coffers of the clan with his continual depredations and supercilious claims of offended youkai honor. Sesshoumaru might well do the same, if they played their cards right. A youkai Lord of his growing strength and power always had enemies he would want disposed of in secrecy. A youkai Lord of his discreet nature would wish, no demand, precision in what he would only consider one of his many tools.

The master did not mind being considered a tool, as long as he was paid in good, hard credits for his work. An alliance with the inu Lord could prove most beneficial, to both their futures. That was why the job must be done, the deed preformed, and as quickly as possible. Lord Sesshoumaru did not tolerate incompetence, and if his youkai underlings were getting impatient, the inu Lord might even be considering withdrawing the contract. The winds of fate were always changing, and this day's enemy might yet be the next day's ally in the great political Game of the youkai.

Yes. It was past time to see the deed done. Now all he had to do was get rid of this arrogant young puppy and see about upping the ante in this dangerous game…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Kouga had dreamed of waking up in his woman's arms, a silly little smile curving across her sweet mouth as he first stirred awake, her sweet caresses welcoming him from slumber into a mutual expression of newly-awakened love…

He did not expect to find his ass shoved right off the bed, to go falling over the edge in an ungraceful tumble of arms and legs, or to have his head yanked back by the expedient rope of his long black hair, the sharp edge of a knife held to his gasping throat, and the woman of his dreams snarling her anger out in a hiss before realizing just who the hell he was.

"Well, ain't this just cozy." Inuyasha was all grin as he stepped inside the bedroom, curious about all the noise they had just made.

Kouga wanted to kill him.

"Sango?" Kagome eeped from around her mate's smug stance.

Blushing furiously, Sango released Kouga with a mumbled apology. Kouga rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles had cramped and looked sour.

"That was a pretty good move." Inuyasha was highly impressed, the ass.

Thinking it over, Kouga had to agree. Even if he had been on the receiving end of it, his woman's skill was still quite impressive. Damn, but he knew how to choose well. And Sango seemed so flustered by it, he might just be able to eek out a worthy apology for all the trials and tribulations the taijiya had just put him through.

Adopting a rather piteous expression, Kouga groaned.

"Kouga? Are you okay?" Kagome rushed from her mate's side to kneel beside him, her expression all that a deceitfully manipulative ookami could wish. He just wished it were _his_ woman who was kneeling in front of him, all flustered and concerned, and not Kagome…

Sango was flustered all right, but she had retreated into that damn emotionless mask he hated, though her beautiful brown eyes expressed acute regret and dismayed embarrassment. Sliding from the other side of the large bed, she bowed her head and murmured, "I'm sorry."

Quick as a flash, Kouga was across the bed and sitting in front of her cowed stance. Lifting her chin gently, he said in a rough voice, "Don't apologize. Don't _ever_ apologize. I don't like it and you don't need to." Giving her a fierce scowl, his blue eyes intense, he growled, "Got that?"

They just stared at him, incredulous.

"What?" Kouga glared back with irritation.

"And I thought _Inuyasha_ was dense." Kagome muttered.

"Hey!" Inuyasha scowled.

"I truly am sorry, Kouga." Sango said, a wealth of emotion in her soft voice. Her fingers reached out, hesitated for the briefest moment, and then dropped.

At least it was progress.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

She writhed beneath him, clutching his wide shoulders with her long nails as she murmured encouragement in a hoarse voice. The bed with its thick, sumptuous pillows and satin sheets muffled their movements even as she arched against him, seeking the attainment of passion. Crying out, her eyes fluttered closed as red lips opened, tiny fangs appearing amid the perfect, little, white teeth.

A knife glittered in his palm even as he moved with her into the precarious peaks of fulfillment. She was a hot little youkai bitch, she had given him a lot of helpful information and a whole lot of pleasure.

Too bad she had outlived her usefulness.

Green eyes flew open as she felt the cold touch of steel on the side of her neck. She gasped in dawning horror as the point pressed minutely, caressing the perfect, tanned skin.

Ever polite, he whispered softly, blue eyes compassionate, "Sorry, my lady."

And then he cut her throat.

Withdrawing from the still warm body beneath him, Hojo frowned in distaste at the blood that now covered his dagger. He wiped the smears free from the sharp, silver-blue surface, using the pillow that lay next to the dead youkai's scattered length of brilliant red hair.

He had some time. He could take a shower, wipe the last of her from off of him, and destroy any evidence he might need to. They were quite alone; Ayame had seen to that. The servants were all dismissed for the night, and that mumbling fool of a grandfather of hers was out somewhere getting drunk with some of his cronies. The old fool was probably bitching right now with his creaky friends about how their ookami overlord had lately been dallying with a disgusting ningen woman down on Kyouko instead of trying to find some more suitable youkai mate.

_How ironic._

As he slipped into Ayame's sumptuous shower---everything about and around the luscious female youkai had been sumptuous---he speculated on how the old fart might feel, knowing that his own granddaughter had been dallying lately with a 'disgusting ningen.' Ayame had kept their liaisons secret, though, fearing that very taint, even as she had delighted in the naughtiness of it. She had been surprisingly discreet, for once. Too bad she could not have kept their other plans as discreetly…

Her obsession with _"fixing that bitch, Sango" _had become particularly dangerous for him. Her fixation on the black-haired onna had bordered on the fanatic. It was as if the red-haired youkai thought that by getting rid of her competition, she would be able to easily reclaim the spurious affections of her former love-interest, Kouga.

Her plans had not aligned his aims at all. Hojo knew with certainty that the true target was the wolf-lord, not the girl Sango. He actually had no desire to see that particular onna killed, though if he were ordered to do so, he would not hesitate. Still, he had hoped that they might have been able to work together. True, the girl had fumbled badly on her last mission, which had resulted in the whole team of assassins getting caught and killed, but, hey, everyone was prone to make a mistake from time to time. The full memory-wipe of Identity Alteration as given her by Station Nine would have cleared her make-up of any fatal flaws that might have been missed by the rigorous training given both of them by the Brotherhood of Iynisin. She was one of the elite, a bred taijiya just as he, himself, was.

He was third generation; she but five years removed, was fourth. His skills had been perfected and honed by patient study, hard work, and diligent attention to detail until he was as lethal a weapon as any Master could command. She had been such a weapon, once, as talented if not as durable. He had idly speculated more than once that she might be a fit partner for him, perhaps even a life-partner. With their combined genetic abilities, who knew what talents their children might have, what heights they might reach…

It was a good dream, if but an idle one. One to entertain thought of, but not really to expect. There was just as much chance of using the taijiya as his cooperative tool as there was of her doing the unexpected, and _not_ cooperating with his plans, or the fulfillment of his mission.

Which is what had just happened.

He had been advised this morning by his superiors that their initial strategy for getting at the target had just fallen apart. The tool had been compromised, their plans for using the brain-washed taijiya all but over. Somehow, Sango had regained her lost ability to make conscious decisions for herself. She had even begun to act on her own and think for herself. A dangerous prospect when one considered how the Masters had hoped to use her as their unwitting tool to gain access to the ookami clan's Taiyoukai, and to subvert her will to their own, using her as they would any mechanized weapon, lifeless and unaware of anything but what it was ordered to do…

Hojo doubted that the onna would ever regain full possession of her lost memories. He rather hoped she wouldn't; because if she did, then she became a liability to the Brotherhood itself. She knew too much, that one. She would not be allowed to live long if there was even a whisper of a doubt that she might remember something vital. She could not be trusted to keep silent, or useful.

Sad, that was what it was. Her future had once been bright, her prospects almost unbelievably limitless. Such talent, such ability…what a waste it all was.

Turning off the gentle spray from the overhead sprinkler, Hojo used the fluffy white towels that bore Ayame's name in gold-threaded kanji on the corners to dry himself off. Idly combing the wet brown hair back from his forehead with the fingers of one hand, he padded across the sumptuously-appointed room naked. Pulling on the discreet, dark-blue uniform that hid him well enough in the shadows---almost as well as his usual assassin's black--he carefully sheathed the useful dagger back into his boot before taking a last look around to make sure that everything that might be able to identify him had been confiscated or destroyed. He had already disconnected the security cameras outside the sprawling mansion and sprayed clean any fingerprints that might identify him. There was nothing left to do but say goodbye to the lovely corpse who still stared up at the ceiling in green-eyed shock.

Lifting the quickly chilling hand, he kissed her wrist for the last time. "Farewell, my lady. It _has_ been a pleasure."

He was ever courteous, it was almost his trademark. Dropping the dead youkai's hand, he turned away. With quick, stealthy movements, he left the elegant room to the stillness of silence.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_A/N: A rather short chapter, considering how many months it has been. It was more to get my feet wet again on this story and start in on some good plot-twists. Now that "Redemption" is finished, I can concentrate on finishing this one, and perhaps, gasp, "The Price of Vengeance". Yikes. I might be on a roll…_

_Fate _


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star-crossing AU universe. K/S I/K

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, foul language, adult situations and issues.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

They had drawn straws. Neither of them had wanted to be the one to go and tell him. Either him, actually---Lord Kouga or old Genkaku. Both of them could be quite formidable when roused, and the simple fact was that neither Ginta or Hakkaku had much desire to rouse that wrath.

But bad news always traveled fast, and just as the two of them were dithering about just who would get to tell who what, an eerie howl of mourning rose over the port-side city. The long, wailing note was high enough to make Ginta's teeth ache, and he watched as Hakkaku tried to control the shiver that threatened to make his teeth rattle.

"They know." Hakkaku whispered.

"They always know," Ginta replied with a casual shrug that just ended up becoming a worse shiver as the yipping ululations of wolfly mourning were raised in a piteous plaint to the uncaring night.

They both jumped as the door abruptly slammed open with some force. The thin wood cracked and splintered under the clenched grip of the old ookami's claws as he stumbled inside, demanding in a harsh voice, _"Ayame. _Where is she?"

"Genkaku!" Ginta jumped to his feet to catch the old youkai as he nearly sprawled across the floor, stumbling over the step and weakened by the turmoil of churning emotions inside him. The youkai, never young, had aged in the last few minutes. It seemed as if the skull of Death was staring back at him with that pale, papery skin and those fierce, blood-glowing eyes.

Hakkaku rushed to assist his wolf-brother in supporting the old ookami to the nearest chair, where he sprawled in an unusually careless fashion, for once unconcerned with keeping up the appearance of rigid stoicism that was all but sacrosanct to the older youkai nobility.

"Ayame…my granddaughter…she's dead…" The voice was hoarse with a depth of unwept sadness the old youkai could never show, rigid as his code of honor was. The rising howls of their four-legged brothers spoke it for him, though, as they rose in a continual cry across the deserted streets of Agariba.

"I must see her." Genkaku stiffened, as if he would rise, but Ginta put a gentle hand on the bony arm as Hakkaku emphatically shook his head, no. The poor female had been found in her bed, her throat cut. All evidence showed that it had probably been a spurned lover that had done her in. The scents alone had made Hakkaku grimace in pity for the ignoble end to the fiery-haired female. It was wretched, and undignified, and it would break the old man to see it.

Much as they had all disliked Ayame and her grasping, spoiled ways, it was not an end he would have wished for her.

And when Kouga found out…

"He will die, whoever he is." The old wolf rasped in a whispered snarl, his crimsoned eyes like glowing coals of promise. _"I vow it."_

Ginta shivered as the wolves' howling rose in chilling counterpoint to the old youkai's snarl. The wind rose, adding its own mournful melody to the eerie cries that now filled the night.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You're a monk?"

Miroku kept his expression carefully noncommittal, a slight, affable smile curving his mouth as the woman stared down her long nose at him from behind her thick spectacles.

_Skinny bitch._

"But of course, miss---" He tried geniality; she wasn't buying it.

"That's ma'am."

"Sorry?" He blinked.

_"Ma'am. _You can call me _ma'am, _if you feel the need to call me anything, young man. I, myself, am hardly young anymore." She sniffed, as if he had accused her of such a distant prospect. Besides being skinny, she was wrinkled and sallow and would never have been what one could call pretty.

His smile was blinding. "You could have fooled me."

She looked suspicious. She was quite capable of doing a nice lip curl when she put her mind to it. Her teeth were straight, if yellow. "Don't think you can flatter your way past me, young man."

Damn, she was tough. Touchy, too.

_Frigid bitch._

"I could hardly flatter one of such obvious intelligence." Miroku answered smoothly, his blue eyes darkening a bit as they narrowed slightly.

She surprised him by laughing out loud. She had a nice laugh, rich and velvety, and not at all in keeping with her spinsterish manner. Her black eyes twinkled at him, and she flicked her fingers at him, almost coquettishly. "Get on with you now! You're incorrigible, is what you are. Very well. I'll stamp you through, though I should know better. _You_, my young man, are not a monk, whatever you say. You have too much an eye for the ladies to have taken vows of chastity."

Miroku shuddered at the hideous thought, grateful that _that_, at least, had never been demanded of him. Mushin had protected him from that much at least, the old drunk.

"You are too kind, ma'am." He bowed gracefully over her hand, even daring to lightly caress the sallow skin, unable to help himself.

"Go on with you!" She chuckled at his audacity. "I should reject your approval, but I can keep to my own business, mind you. What those holy orders choose to do with their funds is not my affair."

"Thank you," he said again, and made good his escape down the access tunnel to the decontamination chamber and the starship that waited just beyond. It would be a rough ride. The _Raley's Five _was actually a merchanteering vessel, hauling cargo from one end of the galaxy to the other at the whim of demand and supply. It rarely took on live passengers, but Mushin had assured him that the captain and his crew could be trusted.

Just because the captain and crew could be trusted didn't mean that he would be made more comfortable, Miroku realized with a growing sense of disgust as he was ushered in a perfunctory manner through the narrow confines of the ship's interconnecting corridors. The harassed supercargo, who had been assigned the duty of escorting him, thumbed open an ancient hatch and waved him inside before hurrying away to see about some additional cargo being loaded into the lower decks.

Miroku looked at what was to be his home for the next few days and scowled. Mushin could have done better by him, no matter the depleted state of the temple's funds. The old sot had probably spent it all on rare brands of sake to keep the pain of his aching joints at bay. That was always the old monk's rather spurious excuse.

Tossing his meager belongings on the single bunk in the tiny closet he was supposed to be so grateful to have, Miroku sighed. He just bet there wasn't a single woman on this damn ship. Mushin had a rather wicked sense of humor. It would be like the old monk to book him passage on the one ship in the universe that wouldn't offer him any entertainment or feminine companionship. Mushin would just insist that it was for his own good, to help keep up his disguise as a traveling houshi with limited funds.

Miroku had plenty of his own funds, he just didn't like to use them when he might be able to use another's. Besides, there was a good possibility that one or more of his numerous accounts were being watched, and the watchers were just waiting for him to make a withdrawal so they could trace his location. There were ways to get around that, but they took time, and Miroku had found that time had become a precious commodity indeed, one that was fast running out.

So thus he was forced to endure the indignity of travel on a cargo-hauler, which could make the journey to Yoro Station in far less time than one of the luxury liners that did such brisk trade among the pleasure-seekers who had made Yoro such a hot destination, one in high demand. Prices bordered on the outrageous, and Miroku's current disguise of poor missionary was one who could ill afford such expense. But damn, was it inconvenient.

Take that old broad for instance. If he had been using his own funds he would not have had to gain her tacit approval of the vouchers he carried on him, drawing credits against the temple's accounts. That one had seen right through his disguise, and Miroku wondered uncomfortably if others might see through it just as easily. Perhaps Mushin had been right to book him passage on this clanking hulk. With no women to make him forget himself, he just might be able to pull off this monkish ruse.

Still, _damn._

ooOOooOOooOOoo

His death was of little interest to all who would normally care about such things. He had been a rather unremarkable man in life, and in death, he proved even more unremarkable. His features, while plain and easily dismissed, bore a look of surprise on them in death that had never been present or known in life. The coroner thought idly that perhaps the heart attack that the medical examiner had cited as the cause of death had taken the poor man by surprise. But the dead man was approaching an age where a felling stroke was more of an expectation than a revelation.

The coroner cared little, and covered the dead body with a simple white sheet before interring him in the deep freeze to await proper disposal. Signing off the receipt, he forwarded the copies to the appropriate departments and went on to the next one. His hours were often full these days, it was almost surreal when he stopped to think about it…

The man had been the CEO of a small little company whose business was so unremarkable it did not even impinge on the disposal securities broker's conscious even as he read the brief bio available on the corpse. His job was to stamp the correct forms with the correct seals, making certain that all was in order and as it should be before the family could come and collect whatever remains they wished to jettison. Most of the time it was hardly worth the bother or expense to embalm the bodies into sealed caskets for a ceremonial launch into the deep blackness of outer space. Most people could ill afford the stunning cost of such waste; they awaited the cremation and special urns to be delivered to their keeping, trusting in the Bureau of Burial to oversee the matter to their satisfaction.

The man's death would be but a brief footnote at the end of a long, civil news coverage at the end of the last newsreel of the day. Perhaps there might be a mention in the business dailies, but perhaps not. The man and his discreet little investment firm were hardly in a league with the more influential corporations.

Satisfied that all was in order, the broker initialed and sealed the body's identification paperwork, assured that other departments had done their own typically thorough jobs.

It was only when the family came to collect their dead that the broker again had cause to remember the man's name. Shuffling through numerous data-links, he was a bit embarrassed to tell the family, which consisted of a tired-faced old woman and the man's dejected wife, that he had misplaced the man's paperwork. He tried to explain how busy they were, how cumbersome the whole process. Red-faced, he summoned the coroner, who had disposed of the body, to at least come and pull the man from storage. He could always straighten out the paperwork later.

The broker dithered, trying to engage the unwilling into small talk to relieve the interminable wait. The minutes ticked by, until the broker fell into an uncomfortable silence as the two grieving women patiently waited for their departed to be brought to them. Growing impatient, the broker finally excused himself from their nervous presence, and went to look for himself just what the hell was keeping the coroner with the damn body. He had better things to do with his time than to be waiting on some incompetent underling to fumble through his damn job…

But the broker stood in shock as the coroner writhed his hands in confusion.

"But I tell you, sir! The body has disappeared!"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The golden eyes were coolly assessing as he watched the last newsreel without blinking. He was utterly relaxed, with wine and prepared refreshments to hand if he wished to partake of them. His discreet servants had bowed themselves out long since, and the overhead lights had been dimmed, as always, as the evening passed into late night.

He glanced at the expensive timepiece kept for the purpose on his mantel, and mildly noted just how late it was. He had been watching the vid-screens for quite some time, hoping to catch something that he might have missed. He was usually not so enamored of the media that he would watch the boring drone of the repetitive business dailies. He had plenty of underlings to do that for him, paid handsomely for their skill in extracting information and putting odd bits of this and that together to come up with some rather surprising conclusions that often stunned his contemporaries when he let those precious nuggets of information fall into their laps. Fortunes had been made on a simple word of advise in the right youkai ear, and many of his contemporaries were grateful for his generous help, and quite indebted to him for his munificence. He, of course, took their vows of eternal gratitude with a gracious forbearance that did not give any hint to the quiet triumph that would lighten his golden eyes to a buttery hue.

For with each small victory, he was closer to his goal. Already his supporters, both willing and unwilling, were more numerous than any other Taiyoukai could now claim. It was a quiet movement, a discreet shift among the youkai ranks that was slowly turning toward his favor. Soon he might be able to seize the reins of power whenever he wished, rather than moving discreetly behind the scenes, playing the Game as deep as any youkai had ever dared.

For Sesshoumaru was a great player of the Game. He rather enjoyed its intricacies and its twisting meanderings of politics and honor, they perfectly suited his intrinsic nature and his clever mind. His own personal ambitions were ever for that intangible aspiration of power. Power was not just the ability to make his wishes known and have them carried out---he could pay any underling to do that, if that was what he wished. _True_ power was the ability to affect change, to steer whole worlds and entire galaxies to his merest whim, whatever it was at that particular moment…

It was a worthy goal for him, supreme conquest.

Not the bloody conquest that had marked the long reign of his father. Inutaisho had brought more worlds under his dominion than any other youkai Lord in the long history of the known universe. He had uncaringly made many a bitter enemy, and had been hated and feared just as much as he had been lauded and feted. Even as his sycophants had fawned over the old inu Lord in his last years, they had secretly derided his choice of a second wife.

Taking a human woman as mate was almost unheard of. Fathering a half-breed bastard in his dotage had lost the last shred of barely civil respect his youkai contemporaries had ever had for him. Inutaisho could have cared less. The old inu's aims and ambitions had ever been rather petty and insipid to his true son and heir's way of thinking. Sesshoumaru had higher ambitions than that of his father. He would make his will known, oh yes, and felt, but he would do it with skill and finesse, not by bullying others into submission.

From the first day he had taken control of the inu clan's vast holdings---at his father's sudden death at the hands of the dragon clan's reigning Lord, Ryoukotsusei---Sesshoumaru had slowly built up his power base, working behind the scenes and manipulating events to his own benefit. He had carefully planned his revenge on the draconic clan, since that was what was expected of the son of a reigning Taiyoukai of his standing. The youkai noblesse had watched to see just what he would do, and Sesshoumaru had known that he had had to act with swift ruthlessness to avenge his father's death, or lose face before those watching avidly for any sign of weakness in the son of so great an inu Lord as Inutaisho had been.

Ryoukotsusei had died at his own hands---clan honor demanded no less. But Sesshoumaru had drawn the line there, feeling that honor had been more than satisfied with the death of his father's murderer. He did not take out his justifiable wrath on the whole clan, which many a lesser youkai would have done. That particular dragon clan had been a small one, Ryoukotsusei had only three worlds to his credit, and he had only sought the fame of killing one of greater strength than he when he challenged Inutaisho to unequal combat.

Sesshoumaru had seen the benefit of forgiveness. True, he had demanded the dragon's clan submit to him, as was proper, but he had stunned the youkai community when he had graciously allowed the clan to live, as long as they pledged him their undying loyalty. It had been a brilliant move on his part. There was no one as ferocious in his support of the inu Lord as that of Ryoukotsusei's son, the new Taiyoukai of the Draconi worlds. Ryousetsu had done well enough by him to warrant his continued support, though the dragon's personal gambling habits had grown a bit expensive in the last few years…

A small announcement at the close of the current newsreel caught the lounging Taiyoukai's wandering attention. Golden eyes narrowed as his expression tightened for a moment. The death of a minor businessman was not important in itself, but it tickled at a faint memory in his mind, and he wondered how this man might be connected to the other associates he had contracted to kill off his greatest opposition.

Contracting assassination was tricky at best, and the Taiyoukai had a particular distaste for such pithy mechanizations, though he would never allow his personal tastes to ever interfere in what he considered had to be done. Kouga of the Wolf Clan had become too much of a liability to the achievement of his own goals, no matter what his own personal feelings were in the matter. The ookami Lord was young and charismatic, forthright to the point of rudeness, and as direct and simple in his beliefs and his actions as a Taiyoukai of Sesshoumaru's caliber would find distasteful. But the ookami could not---or would not---recognize his own appeal to the younger, restless factions of the youkai nobility.

Sesshoumaru had ignored the young ookami heir, feeling that so blunt and spoiled a youkai lordling could never gain power or support on his own. It had been a mistake, and a rather costly one. When the Taiyoukai thought about it, he had even been slightly grateful to the outspoken ookami barbarian for befriending his young, hanyou brother. Inuyasha had always been a difficult burden to bear. Sesshoumaru did his duty by the crass half-breed, had given him whatever he wanted and taken care of the young hanyou's corporeal needs, but Sesshoumaru would never understand what drove the passionate, almost human nature of his younger brother…

It didn't matter, really. Inuyasha had chosen to make his own way in the world, and that was that. Sesshoumaru was actually relieved that the hanyou had decided to seek his own fortune among the ookami clans. He, Sesshoumaru, had done his duty by the brat, and if Inuyasha wished to disgrace their family by taking for himself yet another human onna as mate, then it was for the best that he leave the inu clan to do so. Sesshoumaru had worked too hard for the support of the traditionalist party to suffer their outrage on his behalf for what his stupid brother chose to do with his life.

Sesshoumaru had always supported youkai tradition. Not that he precisely cared one way or another; it was all the same to him, though tradition did offer the easiest means to his goal, and provided solid, unquestionable rules to play the Game by. It was simply the easiest method to gain power among the oldest youkai families, for they had always supported the conservative agenda. Their outlook was narrow, their views almost regrettably predictable. It was no challenge to understand what motivated them, and to manipulate that motivation to his own use.

The hardest thing for him to admit was that he had perhaps made a mistake in driving so deep a wedge between the more traditional elements of the youkai nobility and the younger generations, who always saw change as something good and something worthy to pursue, if only in defiance of their elders and their rigid beliefs. He had underestimated the strength of their growing numbers, and that the brash young Kouga would become such a magnetic personality in the budding movement.

Kouga was, perhaps, an unknowing magnet. The ookami could care less what others thought of him. He was as unlike his reclusive father as Sesshoumaru was _his_. The Taiyoukai had to admire the ookami's stubborn character even as he despised Kouga's blunt directness and shrugging unconcern. The young ookami lord had ridden over any opposition there had been among his own clan, dictating more liberal policies that would have had his conservative father spinning in his grave with agitation if he knew. But Kouga had been smart, and played his own internal Game among the wolf clan well. The young ookami had turned the financially ruined, separatist clan into a rising force to be reckoned with. He did this with decisive action and abrupt change, and his relative fame had spread even as his clan had recovered their wealth and former standing among the youkai noblesse.

Kouga's vicious retribution on the oni clan---when that miserable fool of a spider Naraku had challenged ookami clan honor by first capturing, and then slaughtering, a whole shipload of wolf youkai in the middle of a celebration onboard the familial ship _Crusade_---had only fueled the ookami Lord's growing fame. It had done Inuyasha's standing no harm, either, having been in on the bloody revenge. The younger youkai were quite taken with the romance of it all, the fools, and thus the growing liberal movement had gained support, their numbers swelling almost overnight by that simplistic---and necessary---act of swift retaliation.

It was then that Sesshoumaru had realized that he must find some way to take down the ookami Lord. He was too dangerous an element in the ever-changing loyalties of youkai politics, too bright a rising star. Regardless of how the ookami Lord personally felt about the situation he now found himself in, _he_ was the one the young liberals were centering around, polarizing the disorganized factions of the liberal movement and thus fueling the movement's power and momentum.

The irony of it was, if Kouga even knew how strong his popularity was, he would not _care_. It amazed Sesshoumaru how little the ookami cared for the careful political dance known as the Game, and how casually he let his disgust be known.

Still, politics was politics, and the Game must always be played.

Settling back into the thick comfort of his padded chair, Sesshoumaru steepled his long, elegant hands in front of him, a thoughtful frown marring the pale perfection of his crescent-crowned brow. His spies, carefully placed after many long months of wary manipulation and infinite patience---for that particular play had needed a delicate touch of only someone of his skill, audacity and daring could ever contemplate---had finally rewarded his perseverance and come up with quite a few disturbing revelations. The 'Company,' as he had so blithely named it in that long ago interview with the now-deceased Gyorg Laveshi, was not as cohesive as it would like to have others believe. Many of the Company's clients would be more than a little alarmed if they knew the truth of the situation, that the Company was as divided by internal strife as any other, overburdened corporation who had---what was the quaint saying---too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

But what might be forgiven in a financially sound, if bureaucratic, industrial subsidiary, could prove disastrous for a company of such illicit activity. Too much internal strife and turmoil in such a crucial operation could prove the tool less apt than needed for the delicate jobs it was often used for. There were unseen players in that particular Game that Sesshoumaru knew too little of. He might use the gambit, and the information he could deduce, to his personal advantage if he knew _more_, but his spies, carefully planted as they were, were still not in a position to do much more than observe. They were not able, say, to make a move of any importance, to trigger some type of crisis or conflict that would make the in-fighting factions of the Brotherhood consolidate themselves into a more cohesive unit. Their weakness might prove their undoing. Manipulating that undoing might prove to his advantage. To have the assassin's guild in his debt, by threat or by tacit appreciation, now _that_ would be a goal worthy of his attentions…

A fine brow slowly rose as a notion occurred to him. In light of this most recent news---the sudden death of a man who the Lord knew full well had been one of the more radical proponents among the divided Brotherhood---there just might be something there that he could use, if he were quick to take advantage of it…

Golden eyes glinted in the shadowed room, a slow smile curving across the sculptured lips on the beautiful cold face of a stone angel.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"What the hell are you doing?"

A black brow rose as the lounging ookami smirked.

"Watching."

"Watching what?" Inuyasha demanded of his friend with a dark scowl, before a muffled thud drew his attention to the far left. "Oh."

Sango, unaware of their scrutiny, struck out at the defenseless tree with another whirling kick. Bark chips flew from her second scored hit. Inuyasha watched in some fascination as the slender taijiya took a step back to then attack the dead tree with a flurry of kicks and fists that had her slowly, but steadily, circling the trunk in a strangely poetic dance of fluid motion. Each thrust of leg or arm was full of constrained power, each move one of calculated precision. It was breathtaking in its deadly beauty, for measuring the height of Sango's strikes on the thunderstruck tree's bole, each move had been carefully designed to take out an opponent with limited effort on the taijiya's part.

"Damn," Inuyasha said with feeling.

"Yeah." Kouga's look was smug.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the wolf's continued conceit of 'his' woman. The hanyou suspected that Sango might have a few choice words to say about Kouga's blatant claiming. But then the ookami was a stubborn one, and the taijiya still acted a bit shy and tentative---though she still seemed rather insistent that there was no way she could ever be considered a good candidate as the wolf's mate. If he were to lay odds, and he already had, than Kouga would be in for one rough ride. The girl would lead the ookami a merry little dance, and Inuyasha, for one, was going to enjoy every damn minute of it.

Kouga sprawled across the porch steps, seemingly indolent, but he watched the taijiya with tense anticipation. Inuyasha scowled down at his friend, who ignored him and his sarcastic jibes, much to the hanyou's disgust. He couldn't get a rise out of the infatuated ookami. Growing bored as the taijiya continued her exercises, now doing a strange series of movements in the more traditional forms of a kata, the hanyou finally wandered back inside the cabin to go looking for his wife. He might just be able to get a rise out of her, at least. Kagome was ever so easy to piss off…

Make up sex was the best sex, after all.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Unaware of her rapt audience, Sango allowed her movements to slow. Her breaths were deep from her exertions as she allowed her tensed muscles to relax minutely. She felt sore all over, though she felt elated that she had remembered so much so easily. The motions of the time-honored routines had come stiffly at first, but grace and balance had returned as she concentrated. Her body was not at peak performance, the lack of daily training and consistent exercise were telling, but that would be easily remedied as she continued to work on her kata.

Dropping into a full lotus, the taijiya stilled. Slowly rising to a seated position, she rested her opened hands on her bent knees, closing her eyes and settling into the peaceful trance of pure _being_ that was the end of her routine. She let her thoughts wander into the perfect symbiosis of that quiet meditation, her awareness drawing inward as she steadied breathing and pulse into a synchronized, slow rhythm. Falling into that perfect state should have been fairly easy, she had always enjoyed the settling of her mind at the end of her daily workout, but something nagged at her, disturbing the perfect tranquility of mental stillness. A slight frown of unasked tension marked her brow as she tried to seek within to see just what it was that disturbed her. Finding nothing that had not already been there and deliberately ignored, she decided it must be something outside of her that must be intruding on the peace of the moment.

Opening her eyes, she gasped.

Kouga, head tilted slightly to the side, was mere inches from her mouth, a lavish gleam in his too-blue eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her. He had thought to take advantage of her distraction, to creep up on her and take her by surprise.

Brown eyes smoldering, Sango's curled fist shot out to punch the obnoxious ookami right in the gut. But his reactions were faster than hers, and he quickly curled his strong fingers over her hard fist, stopping it in midair. His slow smile was toothy as she all but growled at him.

"That was dirty, wolf." The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. A slow blush rose to stain her pale cheeks, though Kouga grinned at the silent challenge in her gaze.

"Yep." His reply was inane, but the look in his smoldering blue eyes was anything but. They burned a lazy path down her sweat-dampened shirt, taking in every revealing curve of the simple blue cotton tee. Sango felt her breasts tighten as her stomach did flip-flops under that heated appraisal, and she let out a heavy breath she had not realized she had held.

A claw came up to trace the curve of her cheek. She flinched involuntarily, but he persisted in combing an errant strand of black hair behind her ear. His look was strangely tender as she stared up at him, her own rather quizzical and wondering.

"Why…?" She breathed the half-question, having too many crowding her mind to make any sense of them. Why was he so stubborn and persistent? Why was he interested in _her_, and so suddenly? The past revealed to him should have had him haring off as far from her side as he could get, instead of always trying to find some lame excuse to get closer. Why did he have to insist that he loved her and why did he have to insist that there was now no other for him? He was insane. She was human, a displaced assassin and a dishonored taijiya. There couldn't have been a worse choice of mate for him in this universe had the Fates contrived the whole thing with maniacal giggling.

"Why not?" He tossed back with a typical shrug of unconcern. "Maybe, taijiya, it's because it's _you_."

She shivered. That damn wolf knew too many ways to get right under her skin. He said things that made her heart tighten in her chest and had her head shaking in denial, just as it was now.

"You don't believe me." His voice was warm, amused. He was so close, his breath whispered on her heightened skin, making her shiver again. There was a knowing glint in his sky-blue eyes as he slowly curled his fingers through her loosened fist, his thumb delicately caressing her palm before tugging slightly, so that she leaned closer. Her breath caught as he tilted his head, her eyes fastened on the sensuous line of his lips as strange sensations fluttered in her belly. She watched as they moved again, whispering softly, "You will, though."

"Will what?" Her eyes blinked back up to his in surprise.

"Believe."

She shuddered, and he suddenly caught her mouth with his, claiming her lips as he would try and claim her heart, branding his desire on her parted lips even as his free hand curled through the sweaty tangles at the nape of her neck, bending her head slightly so that he could deepen the kiss. His tongue swirled into her mouth, and Sango gasped as new sensations unfurled throughout her body, making her tingle in strange places as her stunned awareness drowned deeper within his passionate embrace.

The kiss was not hard and demanding, as she had half-expected it would be. It was instead an invitation to share, and tore down the defensive walls she might have erected against something that was more possessive or domineering. He was deliberately careful not to cross that unspoken line, though it was hard, for his ookami instincts snarled for him to haul her beneath him, to lay his claim and claiming in lines of fire across her delicate white skin as he made her submit to his strength and admit his love even as he possessed her utterly---mind, body, and soul.

Sango made a small noise in the back of her throat, in wonder and permission, perhaps, though she could not have said that with any certainty. For a moment, she allowed herself to drown in the pure sensations that pooled throughout her senses, reveling in an opening of experience and awareness she had not really known before. She was no innocent; there had been others, but always it had been for duty and for clan. Though there had also been the deliberate, sadistic violence of Naraku's corruption, and it was _that_ thought that had her shuddering in fear as the realization came to her that Kouga's kiss, inviting and exhilarating as it was, had broken through her barriers even more easily than Naraku's deliberate manipulations of pain and torture on her shattered mind.

Wrenching herself away from the ookami's embrace, Sango tried to jerk back away from him, but Kouga had quickly grabbed hold of her shoulders and refused to let her go. His claws curled, and his eyes flashed crimson with anger for a moment at her sharp denial of what lay between them. Seeing it, Sango struggled the harder.

"Damn it, woman!" Kouga growled.

"Damn it, youkai, let me _go_." Sango hissed in reply, all of her protective instincts screaming at her to _run!_ For the ookami could manipulate her body and her control too easily, and she did not like it one damn bit.

"Gods, Sango, what can I do to show you I won't ever hurt you? I'm not Naraku, damn you!" His blue eyes flashed as he tried to haul her into his hard embrace and she angrily fought him.

"Holding me against my will doesn't help, Kouga!" Sango hissed, angry that she couldn't twist out of his hold as easily as she had thought. The muscles stood out on her bared arms at the strain, but he didn't even appear to have broken a sweat.

"Fighting me won't help either, taijiya!" He growled back, his eyes narrowed.

"You're just like him, like all of them." She spat, her eyes dark shadows in her pale face.

There was pain in his eyes, and anger. His voice was quiet, and hoarse, as he let go of her, saying, "Damn you, Sango."

She scooted back away from him on her butt, but it was the pain in his brilliant blue eyes that had her bow her head in sudden contrition for the causing of it. "I'm sorry, Kouga."

He tilted his head back, to look up at the intense blue of the chilly afternoon sky, and let out a gusty sigh of exasperation. "Damn it, taijiya, I told you never to apologize to me."

"But…" Sango curled a fist and thrust it into the grass beside her as frustration lent strength to her confusion. "I don't understand what you want from me, Kouga!"

"Acceptance." He shot back, equally frustrated as Sango shook her head even before he finished speaking.

"I'm not what you think I am, Kouga. I'm not what you need. You are just feeling sorry for me, though you shouldn't. You've built up something in your mind that isn't really there, something you should---"

"Don't tell me what I feel, Sango. Because I _know_." His voice was fervent, hard.

Sango looked at him, her brown eyes shiny with unshed tears. "Kouga, you are my friend…"

"Friend." He spat the word.

"You shouldn't even be that." Sango looked at her hands, which she had folded in her lap. She drew her legs up, and hugged her knees, resting her forehead tiredly against them. What more could she say to him? He was so stubborn and so damn _youkai_, so damn sure of what he was and what he wanted. How could she deal with that? Emotions were too raw and new to her limited experience. His emotions, so strong and forthright, scared her shitless.

_Coward._

She winced, knowing it was true.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Kouga wanted to strangle her. How could he get it through that thick skull of hers that he loved her? That for him, there could now be no other? He had made his choice, damn it, and that should have been enough.

Right?

He didn't know what to do to make her love him. He felt, for the first time in his many, long years, uncertain and unsure of how to proceed. The taijiya was a boil of over-raw emotions and fears. She was as prickly and as tightly shielded as a spiny needle-thorn plant, which fired hundreds of tiny darts into the unlucky paw that dared to trod on it.

He wasn't used to curbing his actions or his emotions; he had never been one to really care who the fuck he pissed off by something he did. He was Taiyoukai, damn it, not some weak, pathetic excuse for an omega ookami. Things between him and the taijiya should be as simple and uncomplicated as they were between that dog-eared mongrel Inuyasha and his mate. He loved Sango; she should recognize it, accept it, and return it.

Course, he would have to earn it. Her love. But that was easy, or should have been.

He let out a gusty sigh, sick of all this back and forth bullshit. He hated playing games, always had. He had always despised the pompous, arrogant youkai who took such delight in their Game of internal politics and honor, though his stern father had seen to it that he knew the rules and would know how to play when and if the need arose…

Perhaps there was need now. Sango was not going to give up her stubborn denial of the truth without a serious fight. He didn't want to fight with her. He wanted to take her in his arms and show her just how much it was she meant to him, how much he wanted to cherish her and protect her…

Perhaps it had been wrong of him, to arrogantly assume that she just needed a few days to get over her stupid misgivings and fall madly in love with him. Perhaps she needed more time, but damn it, he was never good at waiting. He wanted her, badly, and more than for just a quick tumble in the grass. He wanted her to want _him_, and to return the need he had for her, to be with her and by her.

He stared at her bowed shoulders, where she wearily rested her bent head against her raised knees. He speculated on how best to proceed. His stupidity of the moment, in rushing her, had come to bite him right in the ass. The taijiya was curled in on herself, huddled in a ball, protecting herself from _him_. That sucked, and was hardly what he had wanted.

He should probably leave her alone, leave her to sort out her own feelings and come to her own conclusions. He should give her some space, and some time to think---time to come to terms with the startling revelations of her past, and to understand that none of them, Inuyasha and Kagome included, would ever hold any of it against her. Perhaps, she might even come to realize just how much it was she cared for him, though she would hardly admit it right now. But the tenderness he caught in her eyes, the concern she had in hurting him and in failing him---even her unspoken desire for him, especially with her burdened past of sexual savagery---all told him that she did, in fact, care for him, and deeply.

He just needed to get her to realize it, and maybe it would be best for both of them if he were to absent himself from her side. Maybe then she would let her defensive shields down and come to admit that she loved him as much as he did her. Didn't absence make the heart grow fonder? Wouldn't it be in his best interests to just leave her alone?

Fuck that.

He didn't want to leave. He needed to be close to her, to impress upon her that his love wasn't just some stupid pity for her dark past, that he meant what he said, and that she was _his_. All this stupid questioning bullshit was just aggravating the hell out of him. He had fucked up, rushing her and overwhelming her with his real need for her, and he now had to rectify that fact. He had to take it slow, as Kagome had suggested, and tackle her barriers one solid shield at a time. The best way to take down a walled fortress was to lay siege, and wait for the best opportunity to strike…

Blue eyes narrowed, he stared at her in speculation on how best to start the assault. First things first, he had to get her used to his touch. Not only when she was knocked out and snoring, but when she was awake and aware. He had to be adroitly casual about it, as if each caress was thoughtless on his part. He had to be careful, and he had to be devious.

He had, actually, to play the Game. And this one, with such a reward, was not as distasteful as he would have thought.

Stretching out a hand, he deliberately laid a light claw on her shoulder. She flinched, but steeled herself to look up at him. He didn't like her automatic reaction, but he arranged his face into one of chagrin.

"Sango, I'm sorry." He even managed to put a sorrowful twist on his rough growl. He wanted to grin as she quickly unfolded herself to reply earnestly that it was not his fault, that it was entirely hers…

Suppressing the urge, he shook his head, sadness etched in every defeated line of him. "Sango, I don't know how to show you just how much I truly care for you."

Alarm flickered for a moment in her earnest brown eyes, and Kouga quickly added, "As a friend, of course."

Her tentative smile was shy with understanding. "Kouga, it's okay. Truly. I have my own…things…to work through."

"Then you forgive me?" His look was boyishly hopeful and he almost crowed as she fell for it, hook, line and sinker.

"There's nothing to forgive. It was I who acted…hastily." She looked contrite, and back down at her hands, which now rested in her lap.

"No, Sango, it was I who acted like an ass. I'm the one who needs to beg your forgiveness." Kouga insisted, touching her shoulder again with light emphasis. She didn't flinch away this time.

"Maybe we were both hasty." Sango said slowly, reluctant to admit any wrong on his part, but wanting to console his youkai pride.

"You are too sweet." True enough, though he felt like would drown on the sentiment. He used her blushing silence to lightly hug her, daring to press a light kiss on her cheek. She flinched, but not as quickly as before. He explained in throaty intensity, "That was just to show my appreciation."

She gave him a rather suspicious glance, but he was innocence itself, a vapid smile on his face. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but she said nothing, merely allowed him to help her to her feet. He draped a casual arm across her shoulders, hauling her close to hug her in a quick, friendly embrace.

"I'm glad we're friends, taijiya." He said with blithe cheer, keeping his arm over her shoulders as he steered them back toward the house. Tense at first, she slowly relaxed as he did nothing more, even smiled a bit when he oh-so-casually mentioned that dinner might just be ready, and that he was hungry enough to eat a horse.

"Would you really catch and eat a horse?" She asked, the delightful innocent.

"If he wasn't fast enough---sure." Kouga's laugh was genuine at her shocked expression. He hugged her again, quick and hard, and she didn't flinch away this time. He let her go as they climbed the wide steps up the porch, and she paused for him to open the door for her. Lightly resting a hand on the arch of her spine, he let her go in first. His grin was toothy as she absently wiped a sweaty tangle from off her forehead, but did not try to slip away from his casually brief touch.

This go-slow shit just might work.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango was up to her arms in sudsy water and dirty dishes, and Kouga was beside her, his look sour as she handed over the first, cleaned plate. Swiping at the dripping surface, he tossed it in the drain-rack and thought longingly of the simple convenience of having some servants to do it for him. But Sango seemed to take some perverse pleasure in cleaning up after dinner, and he had made a vow to stick by her side, no matter what, and by her side he was, towel in hand and scowl in place.

Inuyasha, of course, was taking a perverse pleasure in watching them, though he pretended to be busy untangling some type of netting as he sat at the rough-hewn table, a pile of knotted threads in front of him. Kagome was perched on the edge of the sopha a few feet away, reading tidbits to Sango from a gossip column of some kind. Kouga forced back a bored yawn as Sango absently handed him another dish, her attention on the black-haired onna.

"…and it says here that brown is the new black this season." Kagome pursed her lips, thinking hard. "I don't think I have a brown skirt."

"You don't?" Sango asked, perplexed, thinking of how many skirts Kagome already owned.

"No, I don't." Kagome looked chagrined. "I wonder if that nice little dress shop in Agariba carries some in my size…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you could order it from one of those disk-catalogues you are always getting?" Sango helpfully suggested, handing Kouga a dripping glass.

"Shipping stuff in from off-world can get expensive." Kagome bit her lip, thinking hard.

Inuyasha looked heavenward.

"But if I only buy one…" Kagome muttered to herself, slipping off the sopha's arm to go hunting up one of those handy catalogues that came on a simple vid-disk by mail. "It shouldn't cost that much…"

Inuyasha silently prayed.

"Though maybe I should try and get two---one never knows when one might need to change, and if brown is _in_ this season, maybe I should go look in Agariba, just to see what they have…" Kagome's voice grew muffled as she wandered down the hall toward the back room, where she kept her disks in a scattered pile across one end-table.

Inuyasha sagged in defeat.

"Do you know how much _brown_ is gonna cost me?" He growled at Kouga, who shrugged and grinned.

"Why are you worried, mutt-face? You can more than afford it."

Inuyasha just sighed, his deft claws neatly untangling another knot.

Sango gave Inuyasha a puzzled glance. Kouga casually bumped her hip with his, flashing her a grin and pointedly rolling his eyes in the cheap ass hanyou's direction. She smiled tentatively, uncertain of the joke. Kouga risked a quick, amused hug as the taijiya bent back to her dishes. She didn't even look up, so used to them by now.

Kouga's smile was smug.

"Oh." Sango said with mild surprise.

A slight, metallic scent rose and Kouga's nose twitched. Suddenly concerned, he looked down at the taijiya, who held her index finger up to look at the shallow cut she had carelessly made on the jagged edge of a knife she had reached for, the sharp edge hidden among the sudsy dishes in the sink. The slight wound bled sullenly, bright red in the overhead lighting. Inuyasha looked up, apprehensive, as the coppery tang of the girl's blood reached his own sensitive nose.

"You okay?" The hanyou asked.

Sango nodded absently. "Just a cut," she said, reaching for a towel to clean up the blood.

"Let me see." Kouga said huskily, pulling her hand up so that he could examine it closely. The cut was shallow, the blood already clotting. Without thinking, he lightly licked the seeping line, using the healing properties of his saliva to stop the bleeding and seal the wound.

Sango gasped, and tried to tug her finger away from his warm tongue. Kouga held her wrist firmly, his eyes too intense and all too blue.

"Let him." Inuyasha was willing to aid the cause. He leaned back in his chair, his golden gaze amused. "Wolf drool can heal."

"What?" Sango's startled eyes shifted to the hanyou, who sat back from the table with a mild grin at her expense. She gasped as Kouga's warm tongue swirled around the wound, lightly licking. She stared at his tongue in fascination.

"So does inu." Inuyasha supplied conversationally, crossing his arms behind his neck with casual disregard, his eyes half-lidded so the taijiya would not see the amusement in their amber depths. "Handy, that."

"H-Handy?" Sango stuttered as Kouga drew her finger into the hot, wet heat of his mouth, sucking lightly as she stared stupidly up at him.

"Yep." Inuyasha wanted to chuckle as the girl's brown eyes glazed over. Kouga continued to draw her finger deeper into his mouth, his tongue cupping around her skin, his lips soft as he slightly increased the inward suction. Withdrawing her finger a bit, she almost moaned at the loss of wet warmth, though he quickly sucked her finger back in a deliberate mimic of how bodies moved in carnal joining.

A pure stab of raw need rocked the taijiya right down to her core, and she shuddered as Kouga drew her finger deeper, the suction of his pliant lips making her nipples taut and her stomach muscles tighten.

The scent of her sudden arousal was heavenly to the ookami, who stared down at her with compelling innocence even as he deliberately fanned the flames of her need. Inuyasha cocked a brow at the sudden intensity of the girl's scent, and he looked mildly impressed as Kouga continued to pluck at the strings of her reticence.

"What are you doing?" Kagome demanded, her arms full of various catalogue-disks as she returned from the back room.

Inuyasha scowled. He'd been rather enjoying the show. "Sango cut her finger. Kouga's trying to heal it, the inu way. Remember that scrape you got on the inside of your thigh last week?"

Kagome blushed at Inuyasha's smirk. She remembered that scrape, and her mate's tender care for it. She also remembered what had followed that heady kiss on the inside of her thigh…

Flushing furiously now, she made a faint noise of protest as the hanyou grinned toothily.

Kouga finally let Sango's finger go, though he kissed the healed tip lightly in mock apology at the slow withdrawal. The taijiya stared up at him in a daze, her eyes soft and almost cinnamon. A slow smile curved across the ookami's lips, and he whispered huskily, "All better?"

Sango nodded, still in a daze. A flash of wistful regret darkened her eyes for a moment before she curled her freed hand against the fluttering heart in her chest. She took a deep breath of needed air, trying to regain her scattered wits. "Um, yes…um, thank you."

Kouga was amused by the taijiya's stumbling, and would have said something more, but a faint, familiar scent tickled his attention away from her enticing presence and toward the front door. He frowned, perplexed by the recognition.

_Hakkaku?_

Inuyasha sat up, catching wind of the wolf-brother's presence even as Kouga strode toward the door and swept back the archaic locks. Hakkaku rapped helpfully on the door even as the ookami Lord swept the sturdy wooden panel aside, revealing the wide-eyes and white spiky-head of the youkai to them all.

"Boss?" Hakkaku's gravelly voice broke the silence that had descended on the group at his unexpected arrival.

"What's wrong?" Kouga growled, scenting the youkai's anxiety.

"It's Ayame, Boss." Hakkaku, never good with words, stumbled all over them to explain. "She's…she's been…"

Kouga stilled minutely, his blue eyes boring into the younger ookami as his expression hardened. Hakkaku flinched under that steel-eyed gaze, wondering if this was what a terrified bush-tail must feel under the piercing hunger of the hunting predator.

"What _about_ Ayame?"

ooOOooOOoo

A/N - I want to thank everyone for the reviews, and apologize for how long it took me to update. I am worried that Miroku, Sessy and Kouga are all OOC in this chapter, and kept dithering over it until I finally got fed up with myself and just published it, as is. Please let me know if they are, any comments are greatly appreciated! (Fate)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

_THE SOURCE OF SOLACE_

Bred as a weapon, and betrayed by her own kind, Sango's true identity was erased by Alteration. But it just left the way open for manipulation by those who would use her for their own ends. Assassination and Love collide in a star-crossing AU universe. K/S I/K

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, foul language, adult situations and issues.

_A/N: Special note, "toutoi" means "precious, valuable, priceless" in the online translation. I might be using it in the wrong context, but that is what is so great about futuristic stories, language and meaning can change over the centuries…LOL. (Fate)_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Zerinn il'Tevya was a past master of both blade and dart. He had proven his mastery and skill by the simple surfeit of having reached the ripe old age of 133 years. Most men in their early thirteenth decade, without the aid of rejuvenation treatments, were brain-addled by time and preventative drugging, vacant-eyed and slack-jawed as they allowed the near-miraculous aid of modern medical technology to extend their useless lives into a wretched existence.

Zerinn had never been one to waste anything, including existence. He maintained his strength and intellect through judicious diet and rigorous exercise. His routine was simple, expedient, and ruthlessly followed---with the single-minded tenacity that had once characterized his stalking of proscribed prey in the heyday of his career as a Brother of Iynisin.

Zerinn had never paid attention to the various murmurings of sooth-sayers and priests. He had never believed in an afterlife, a guiding power, or a higher strength than that of his own arm. The simple philosophy of Xao Lin of the Eighth Galactic Dynasty had always seemed to him to be more believable than gods or saints, devils or hells.

_"From nothing, we become nothing."_

He followed this philosophy faithfully, and trusted that _this_ plane of reality would be the only one he would ever know, thus he made good use of it in the short time allotted him _in_ it.

Highest in his contempt were those who uttered such ridiculous nonsense as "premonitions" or "messages" sent by whatever good or evil force the particular fool believed in. But after being awakened in the middle of the night by a chilling twinge going down his spine in warning, he might, just might, begin to believe…

It was his custom to sleep between the hours of moonset and the last hour before sun's dawning. G-Station circled Gaea III, and the planet's rust-swirled gaseous envelope could be seen through the thick plaz-shield screens of his outer windows. Zerinn preferred to arise when Gaea's sun had yet an hour to pierce the liquid blackness of space, and to break his fast in contemplation of the swirling dun-orange surface of the gently turning planet below. A vigorous exercise regimen would follow the peaceful interlude before he would make his way to the Training Compound, when he would truly start his day among the students there, rising them at first-light for a ten-mile run.

A past master with both blade and dart, the assassin's primary tools (for blast guns, though lethal, were hardly considered elegant), he had proven his mastery with that most basic of precepts---he had survived, where others had not. Not only survived, but excelled---to the point where the Brotherhood had honored him, or so they bribed, with a teaching position at the Training Compound, where he might relax against the ever-guard of living as an assassin and "retire" in the peaceful quiet of instructive scholarship.

Zerinn ever knew his duty, and while he detested the role now given him, he taught his young charges with a singular ruthlessness that would, in time, help _them_ to survive the rigors of their calling. It was with that haunting thought weighing heavily on his mind that he made ready for bed that night, having set out the implements he would need for the morning's rising and the next day's teaching.

His sleep might have been restless, with such thoughts, but Zerinn never allowed such concerns to intrude into what he considered as the body's need to rest and replenish. Exerting his will, he made his mind quiet for the night and slept deeply.

What woke him up might have been the soft scuff of a slipper on the reed mats he had laid across his bedroom floor for particularly that purpose, knowing that they would rustle at the slightest disturbance. Perhaps it had been the tangible presence of three different shadows in a room that should have contained only him. It might have been anything, though he would later believe that it had been his instincts…and perhaps, something more…that had sent that chill of warning down his back, making him roll over abruptly just as a naked blade was thrust into the pillows where he had been sleeping but a bare moment before.

With a muffled curse, the skulking shadow freed his blade from the clutching fabric of the pillow with a loud, rasping sound of tearing cloth. That was stupid. Zerinn would have abandoned the caught blade and pulled out another, saving precious seconds by the simple expediency. But the fools sent against him had never been trained _by_ him, and were thus unequal to the task of trying to kill one who would only use their incompetence for his own benefit.

Flinging away the pillow he had pierced with his knife had been the murderer's second mistake---as it then covered the small area around the bed in a shower of tiny white feathers and down, masking Zerinn's stealthy movements as he silently rolled into the legs of his second would-be assailant. _That_ idiot had been just standing there, watching, when Zerinn used all of his weight to knock him off of his feet. There was a muffled thud and a choking gasp as the old teacher helpfully used the fool's own blade to cut his throat for him.

In Zerinn's harsh opinion, none of the three buffoons sent to kill him would have lasted more than a few seasons out in the field, so incompetent were they. Their timing was slow, their resulting reactions saddled by far too much anger and emotion, and as for the noise they made! A trampling elephant would have done the job with far more finesse, and less noise. If any of _his_ students had made such a blunder of what should have been an easy job---well, maybe not so easy, but then again, he _had_ been sound asleep, and if the fools had been anything but as inept as they were, they should have taken him with little noise and less fuss---but if any of _his_ students had dared to bumble their way through what should have been a clean, simple kill, then he would have taken the skin off of their backsides with his own _nunchaku._

The third attacker cursed softly when he realized the second had just died. That had been a rather stupid mistake on his part, for it told Zerinn just exactly where the blurred shadow was in the darkened room. It was with rather contemptuous ease that he flung another dagger---this one pulled from under the nearest reed mat where he always kept it hidden, in case of emergencies just like this one---and ended the incompetent's life with a gargled cry and a heavier thud as the body hit the floor, his dagger buried to the hilt in the assailant's neck.

"Damn you, old man!" The first attacker made no effort to control his voice or lower his volume, which told Zerinn all he needed to know that this attack had been given official sanction. Well, maybe not official, but it had been ordered by persons high enough in the Brotherhood that they would not fear any reprisals from the action, and had less care of just how their orders were carried out.

He must have become expendable then, or perhaps, he had even become something of a _liability_---though he did not know how or why. He just knew that someone, somewhere, wanted him dead and out of the way. It would bear further thinking on, but now was not the time. Still, the idle speculation made him smile, and it was not a _nice_ smile.

The remaining traitor was now wary of his skill, and tried to feint to the left as Zerinn slowly stood up, allowing his presence to be known. He wanted this last fool to know just who it was he faced, just who it was he had thought to kill so easily with a knife's thrust in the dark as he lay sleeping.

This might be only the first target of his revenge, but it might prove to be the most satisfying. Brandishing the twin daggers that were characteristic of his own preferred style of fighting, Zerinn decided to take his time with this one. Moving the blades in a mesmerizing dance calculated to fool the susceptible, he quickly disarmed the oaf, tripping him up and sending him sprawling with a sharp cut to the Achilles' tendon, a move that would cripple as well as provide a measure of pain, which he could then manipulate for his use to get at what he truly wanted.

_Information._

The deed was hardly bloodless, and too much time had been wasted in listening to the fool's piteous cries for mercy. Amid the pathetic whimpers had been a few hoarse whispers of valuable intel though, and it was with a grim stirring of sullen anger that Zerinn then used the twitching corpse to wipe the blood from off his favorite blade---after having carved his sigil into the slain's forehead in a bloody testament to his own contempt for those bumbling fools sent against him, and a blunt message those who _had_ sent the fools could not ignore.

Standing, the lethal assassin quickly took stock of his situation. It was, perhaps, precarious at best. There might be more waiting to do the deed that those three incompetents could not. He would have to run, then, and seek shelter among those who might very well be shocked to learn just how deep the treachery among the sworn Brotherhood now went.

It took but a few moments for him to pack up the few things he wanted to take with him. It was funny how little there was that he cared to take. His one regret was that the students now under his teaching might go to another who would prove to be less exacting than he, one who might train them in as imprudently a manner as those three fools had been. It was but a momentary regret, however, and easily set aside. If any of the young assassins now training were to even survive the bloody conflict that now loomed in the Brotherhood's future, it would be a miracle. The young were often mere fodder for the ambitions of the more powerful of their order. That had always been an accepted fact of life among the tong.

Perhaps, Zerinn thought with a bitter scowl, it was time for things to change in the Brotherhood. Perhaps it was _past_ time for things to change. The honor the Brotherhood touted so much about had been more in mouth than in deed as of late, and the fact that there were those who felt more than comfortable in taking out one of their own was just downright disgusting. Others might think that the honor of a sworn killer a pitiful thing, but he was now determined to set it right. The infection of treachery went deep, and it would take a firm hand to cauterize it out…

A firm hand he did not mind in the least using.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango cast an uneasy look out of the corner of her eye at Kouga. Cold fury radiated from every stiff pore of him. Though he said nothing, his eyes were icy fire as he sat, arms crossed, staring out over his right shoulder toward the darkened windshield beyond. Hakkaku's distinctive spikes were grayed in the dim light cast by the small shuttle's running lights. Splashes of green flickered across the ookami's bent form as he piloted the blocky shuttle across the night-swept continent.

The other ookami, who had accompanied Hakkaku to Inuyasha's cabin in the shuttle, was hunched down in the copilot's seat. Sango did not know his name. He had short, gray hair like Ginta, but it was darker than the other ookami's, and looked nearly black in the flickering display of the shuttle's controls. He kept rolling his eyes back in their direction, all but wincing as he caught sight of the Taiyoukai's hard stare.

Inuyasha grimaced as the nervous copilot hunched further into his seat. His own amber gaze was steady as he stared at Kouga. The Taiyoukai was radiating suppressed fury in every stiff line of him, and all of them kept looking over at him, as if wondering just when he would explode with it. Kagome, squashed into the hanyou's side by his heavy arm across her shoulders, bit her lip and tried to send some silent message with her wide brown eyes to Sango that the taijiya could not hope to understand. Sango shrugged a little, helplessly, in return, and the movement drew the Taiyoukai's sharp gaze.

For at this moment, Kouga was every inch the withdrawn, icy youkai Lord, and not the arrogantly amused ookami she had come to know. Sango acutely felt the subtle difference, and had withdrawn into herself as a result, not sure how to act around this new Kouga.

She felt the weight of his regard, and her eyes flicked up to meet his. The flat stare made her want to shiver, though she firmly suppressed the instinctive reaction. Her spine unconsciously straightened, and she forced herself to meet his gaze with a level one of her own, the emotionless mask of the assassin firmly in place.

Was it annoyance that flashed across his too-blue stare, or just her imagination? Whatever it was, it made his eyes glow, and Sango inched a bit away from him, surprised by his reaction and her response to it. She didn't know this new, hard Kouga. She had no place in his youkai world, and all of her fears whispered to her that here was proof of how little she knew him, how little she understood or could hope to understand of him and his alien mind.

She dropped her eyes to the metal floor beneath her tucked feet, her fingers curling a tighter grip into the simple, padded bench on either side of her. Both sides of the blocky shuttle were lined with a plain, metal bench bolted along the outer walls of the roomy storage area behind the pilot's forward console. Usually, the squared-off confines of the back part of the small ship were used to haul cargo back and forth from the station in orbit above Kyouko. The shuttle was squat, compact, and hardly elegant, but it had powerful engines built for heavier cargos than the six bodies it now hauled across the continent toward the distant port-city of Agariba.

A single claw delicately traced the clenched grip of her nearest hand, and Sango's eyes jerked up to meet the Taiyoukai's. Kouga leaned close to her, whispering in her ear, "I…need…could use…your support…right now."

It must have been hard for him to even admit such weakness right now. The barrier created by his sudden donning of youkai preeminence cracked a little, and Sango's brown eyes softened. Poor Kouga. He had such demands laid upon him. She had not given thought to how the news of Ayame's sudden death might affect _him_, the wolf, and not that other, the Taiyoukai, who must show a stern face to the world lest others think him weak. There was so much they had in common---an assassin could never let emotion show either, lest weakness betray them…

Turning her hand into his, she knit her fingers between his strong, clawed ones. She lightly squeezed his hand with simple understanding, her dark gaze compassionate. He smiled a little, allowing that much emotion to creep past the barrier of his strength, and squeezed her hand back in quiet gratitude before turning his head to look back out the windshield. The forested hills of the continent had given way to the unbroken line of the churning, black seas below as the shuttle grimly sped across the planet's surface.

She did not catch the amused glint in Inuyasha's amber eyes, or Kouga's fleeting smirk in the hanyou's direction. The Taiyoukai might not need her compassion, but he did need _her_, beside _him_, and he would do whatever he needed to keep her with him…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I have come to spread the light of redemption among the poor, misguided spirits of Kyouko who have never known---" The young man paused, seeing the dispatcher's rather skeptical expression.

The man behind the plaz-glass shielded window pursed his lips as he eyed the houshi with amusement. The monk's faded blue robes had seen better days, as had the well-palmed wood of the religious staff held casually in one hand. The rings decorating the staff's crown jingled merrily as the monk surreptitiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had been standing in line for quite some time; the captain who had preceded him off of the newly docked merchanteer _Raley's Five _had been rather meticulous in his accounting, and had taken way too damn long to go over his various lists of incoming cargo.

The harassed dispatcher, who would normally have sent any religious zealot packing, refusing to even permit such trash within Yoro's pristine precincts, was tired from the captain's rather painful thoroughness, and so he was more amused by the handsome young man's earnest expression rather than being put off by it, as he normally might have been. Yorokuzo Station hardly needed the plaintive bleats or violent harangues of the ardently faithful. Most visitors to Yoro sought more tangible pleasures than those offered by soothsayers and priests, and Lord Kouga would hardly tolerate a religious nut who had little tolerance himself for the variety of lifestyles found on the orbiting station.

This young monk, earnest as he was, would find few who would even pay attention to him, let alone allow themselves to be persuaded or converted to his way of enlightenment. It might be fun to let the young zealot learn on his own just how hard it was to persuade obnoxious young rich brats that their souls were in mortal danger of damnation as they spent their vacation-time soaking up the dubious benefit of more corporeal entertainments. Though the houshi might prove stupid, and cross the unspoken boundary between politeness and aggravation, and get his ass kicked.

Better not risk causing a riot, then, and just go with his instincts, which told him to refuse entry to the young missionary, persuasive as he was. Frowning, the harassed dispatcher opened his mouth to say just that, when the monk's expression changed. His eyes flicking from side to side, as if trying to see if anyone were close enough to hear his confession, he leaned toward the Dispatch window with a conspiratorial air. Surprised, the dispatcher waited to see what the monk might say.

Clearing his throat, the young man looked a little uncomfortable. "Ah, um…"

The dispatcher raised a brow, his skeptical look returning.

The monk coughed, the rings of his staff singing out as he nervously shifted his weight again. A flush rose to stain the tanned cheeks. "I…ah…have something of a confession to make. I didn't really come to Yoro to…ah…spread the word, per se. You see, I have always led something of a quiet life…a _sequestered_ life, you might say."

Rubbing a finger along the side of his nose, his dark blue eyes warily shifting again to see if anyone was near, he leaned even closer to the window. The dispatcher, his curiosity piqued, tried to appear indifferent, though he unconsciously leaned closer to the glass as well. He wondered just what dire secret the young man was trying to confess, though he had a vague idea. Even poor young monks needed a vacation now and then, and probably more than most, with the strict tenets of their profession.

"Much as I love my calling, I have missed the…ah…more temporal pleasures of a woman's…er…companionship." The monk looked downright mortified to have admitted so much, but the dispatcher chuckled in understanding, enjoying the young man's discomfort.

"I…see." He allowed the double-meaning to color his drawl, amused as the houshi continued to stumble quickly over his words, as if finally admitting his true reason for coming to Yoro Station had released something pent up within him.

"You see, I wasn't always a monk, and it's been hard, you know, very hard, to keep my vows. A brother houshi suggested that I, uh, could use a vacation---to work off some of my frustrations, you might say. I only have so much money, you know, being a religious man who shouldn't think about such things, but you know, I am still only a _man_, and I must say that I have heard so much about Yoro's…ah…nightlife…that I felt I must come myself to see if the rumors were true…"

Reaching for a pass-permit and visa, the dispatcher smirked knowingly. "Not having much money, you then used the temple's funds to pay passage here, then? As a missionary?"

The flush deepened on the monk's embarrassment. He coughed, looking around again to see if anyone were listening. His voice was almost apologetic. "Sad as I am to admit such abuse of my temple's limited finances, I couldn't see any other way, really, seeing as I need my money for more…ah…_worldly_ reasons…"

The dispatcher chuckled in sympathetic appreciation even as he quickly coded the necessary paperwork to permit access to the station. He could more than understand the young monk's dilemma. Stamping approval on the visa, he slid the permits under the thin slot at the bottom of the window. As the monk retrieved them with a suddenly bright smile and a grateful bow, the dispatcher waved him on to the nearest exit from the docking bays. "Right through there, Mr. Takeda. I hope you enjoy your stay."

The dispatcher smirked as the houshi all but scrambled over himself getting through the door, the rings on his staff jangling in protest at his unseemly haste. He bet that damn monk would enjoy his stay, and be the better for it. How could a good priest know how to save a man from sin if he had never sinned himself?

Chuckling at that thought, the dispatcher pulled down the screen that would signal his office was temporary closed. Feeling that he had helped out the universe in some small way, he felt more than ready to now go and get himself some lunch.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

He received more than a few startled looks as he made his way down the main corridor that led visitors toward the businesses that would best cater to their needs. Raising a brow in amused inquiry, Miroku just smiled as he sauntered past, the rings on his held staff tinkling merrily as he strolled along, pretending he had nary a care in the world.

This damn disguise was going to get his ass killed.

It was calling too much attention to him. His long robes stood out among the more scantily clad visitors, as well as the working coveralls of most station personnel. He would have rather kept to this particular disguise, as the religious staff made a nice weapon in itself---not to mention the useful dagger and sword hidden within the thick, wooden shaft. He, of course, had been searched more than thoroughly by a dimwitted thug of a station guard that hadn't made the experience all that pleasant. His bags, as well, had been carefully sifted through. Station security had left the staff alone, though, believing it was innocuous enough.

Funny how fools often believed exactly what they expected to see. Like that damn dispatcher---when the 'earnest missionary' ploy hadn't worked on him, Miroku had easily switched to the 'earnestly sexually frustrated,' which had given him what he wanted---open access to the station's facilities.

It was sad that he would not have enough time to enjoy some of those facilities. He had been able to inject more desperation into his 'confession' to that smirking old lech of a bureaucrat because he _was_ desperate. It had been nearly a week since he had last visited that delightful little redhead he had met the night that inept waiter had tried to take him out with a blast gun. Now, _she_ had been something. As passionate as her fiery curls had suggested, she had been as naively curious in bed as she had been out of it…

"Oh! Pardon me…" He bowed an apology for having bumped into the man, who cast him a furious look before hurrying on his way. Really, he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings. Looking around to try and catch his bearings, Miroku's blue eyes widened as an appreciative smile curved across the line of his sensuous mouth.

Now _that_ was a pair of breasts to make a man thirsty.

Abruptly turning to the left, he followed those delicious breasts---and the saucy little ass that went with them---into the small, discreet hotel the maid had just disappeared into. The rings on his staff clanged together as he all but ran, hoping to catch up with the golden-skinned beauty. He could feel Kuranosuke stir with interest as he contemplated the delightful maid's luscious assets.

Palming the door open, he slipped inside before the door had even finished sliding along its built-in track. It stood open a moment before sliding shut behind the eager monk, who was trying to hide his disappointment at not catching sight of the adorable little maid. Instead, he was confronted by a long counter and a beady-eyed stick of a man who glared at him with pinched-faced disdain.

"What do _you_ want?"

It was hardly an encouraging greeting, but Miroku had charmed his way past more difficult barriers in his time than one pissy old man. Charm wasn't really what would work on this pinch-fisted skinflint, but money was money, and he had had to use nearly all of the ready credits he carried on his monkish persona to pay for the smallest room the hotel offered. With a nice lip-curl of disdain, the man then offered to summon help to carry his meager belongings up to his room. Miroku would have declined, but some perverse sense of bedevilment had him thank old pinch-face for the courtesy, and watch with a hidden smile as the old man summoned someone with frank irritation for being thus imposed upon.

He should take time to thank the devil for such perversion, because lo and behold, it was the busty, black-haired beauty who came tripping down the side corridor to help take him to his room. With a blinding smile, Miroku bowed over the saucy wench's hand even as she reached out to pick up his carry-sack. Surprised, she blinked up at him, though her slow, sensuous smile was answer enough to make a poor, benighted young monk sell his very soul for but a moment in her arms.

Perhaps he could spare some time after all to enjoy some of Yoro's more _bountiful_ facilities…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Outfitting himself was proving rather difficult. Planet security had been alerted to his presence, or to that of another, perhaps. All legal weapons had been secured, their sale prohibited, and the nervous, little fat man now sweating in front of him behind the store's counter had been the only one he could find willing to ignore the port-city's mandates. The little man, a pale slug with a fringe of wispy brown hair around his shiny, bald pate, all but squeaked as Hojo picked up a slender dart-gun.

It was clearly an antique, but somebody had taken good care of it. Testing the triggering mechanism, Hojo eyed the weapon's trajectory. Sliding back the loading chamber, he noted that the bore had been smoothed by wear and repeated oiling. Smiling slightly, he asked politely, "Do you happen to stock any of the capsules for this little beauty?"

"B-Beauty?" The man squeaked again, even as he reached under the counter to pull out a rather dusty plastic storage container.

"But of course. It's a rare gem. I am, after all, a collector of such antiques." Hojo replied smoothly. The pudgy little man visibly relaxed, reassured by the stranger's disarming grin and ingratiating manner.

"It's something of a hobby of mine," the earnest-eyed young man continued as he rummaged through the dusty container the pudgy shopkeep had helpfully opened for his inspection. Selecting two or three of the small capsules, he loaded the dart-gun with deft grace. Cocking back the trigger, the young man again eyed the probable projection of the small gun's line of fire, making the shopkeep titter as he made motions of happy pleasure at the find.

Laying the precious gun back on the counter, Hojo tapped his fingers thoughtfully against his lips as he pretended to study the rest of the man's pitiful supply of weaponry. He had already decided to discard the over-decorated, gem-encrusted knives on the left. In his opinion, they were but fancy trash. For one, their balance was pitched by such heavy use of gilded glitter on the matching pommels, and for another, the blades were dulled by neglect. To one of his skill, beauty lay not in decoration, but in use.

Eying a slender stiletto, it's length undecorated and plain, it's pommel made of simple wood and bound by brass, Hojo casually picked it up, checking its weight and balance against his palm. His fingers curled over the plain hilt. It fit as if made for him.

"That's not really an antique, sir." The fat little man piped up, honesty getting the better of his greed.

"Ah, but I like the look of it," Hojo replied with a purr.

"But, sir, you might want to consider these handsome beauties instead…" The shopkeep gestured to the over-decorated pair of matching trash. "Notice the fine workmanship of the…uh…handles. See the gems worked into the base of each? Both are genuine Sapphirian crystal from the ocean-world of Shio…"

Perhaps it had been greed, after all, rather than honesty, that had made the fat little man speak up. The price of the matching daggers was probably outrageous, far above their actual value to him.

Hojo was disappointed. He had thought for a moment that there actually might be a honest man in this pathetic little dirt-side village after all. Ah, well, too bad.

Flipping the plain stiletto in his hand, he let it fly.

The fat little man fell back against the wall behind him with a gurgled cry that never became a scream as the one good eye left him abruptly glazed over in death. The corpse slumped to the ground as Hojo made his way around the counter to retrieve his new possession. He paused to admire the beauty of the smooth, wooden hilt. The brass banding gleamed dully in the shop's overhead lights. It was a beautiful sight, buried to the hilt in the dead man's eye.

With a deft twist, the assassin retrieved his new stiletto. Wiping the blood off on the corpse's shirt, Hojo carefully rummaged through the shop's inner storage room, hoping for better offerings than what the greedy little man had shown him. He was pleased to find a rather large, blunt-nosed blast gun in a drawer by the man's safe. Picking the lock of the safe was mere child's play, though the reward of his work was meager enough. Frowning at such a pitiful amount, Hojo nonetheless pocketed his find. Perhaps the authorities, pathetic as they were, would believe theft had been his only intent…

Pocketing his various treasures, including every poisoned capsule available to fit the elegant dart-gun, and a whole slug of blast-caps and charges for the uglier blast-gun, Hojo cast a sharp glance around the deserted street before quickly exiting the shop. Slowing to a casual stroll at the next corner, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and began whistling a happy little ditty, meandering along as if he hadn't a care in the world…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango didn't like all the odd glances sent her way. Course, Kagome was getting just as many. She felt rather superfluous as Kouga and Inuyasha were surrounded by a virtual horde of descending youkai and their wolfly counterparts. She stood in a corner, Kagome perched on the arm of a chair beside her, as the small room slowly filled. There was a lot of shouting and incoherent muttering among the group. Occasionally, Kouga's hard voice rose above the others, who often growled or shouted back until someone else was able to snarl a suggestion.

Kagome reached out to squeeze Sango's dangling hand in hers as yet another ookami lord stepped inside, looked at the onna with surprise before sniffing his disdain and finally turning his back on them to go and join the crowd of jostling youkai who vied with each other to make their personal opinions known---as if anyone could hear anyone else in the crowded, hot confines of the room.

The women, pushed into their corner and all but ignored, were made hotter by the virtual flood of furry bodies that surrounded them on all sides. Sango had not one, but two, heavy lumps lying across her feet and a third pressed against the back of her calves. A fourth wolf leaned against her knee, nearly knocking her off balance as he huddled against her to scratch at his pointed ear with a hind leg.

A thick tail rhythmically thumped against Kagome's bared calf as three wolves took up the cushiony seat of the chair she perched against, and a pile of others planted themselves around the base. A few wolves milled among the crowded youkai, but most had gathered around the two women as the safest place to avoid being stepped on.

Or so Sango thought, until she tried to leave and the whole damn herd of furry beasts followed her out like a slobbering, tail-waving, yelping flood of happy relief. Stunned silence descended on the crowded room as all eyes turned in the young women's direction, and Sango could feel her cheeks burning as she ducked her head, trying to catch sight of Ginta, who had popped his head past the door long enough to wave at her to come on out.

Kagome, growing irritated by the stares, muttered loud enough to be heard by all, "You'd think they never saw a woman before."

"Not one as cute as you." A young ookami with tousled brown curls dared to grin cheekily at the onna, but it abruptly died as a roar rose behind the massed huddle of youkai who watched them.

"Who said that? Who the fuck said that? I'm going to kill him! That's my _mate_, damn it. Kouga, where the fuck is he? Move, ass hole!" There was a boiling wave in the center of the crowd as Inuyasha snarled and all but pushed youkai out of his way.

The young ookami paled. Ducking his head, he fled out the door Ginta held helpfully open. Kagome whirled, hands on hips, and confronted the staring youkai, her brown eyes furiously searching for her silver-headed mate. Indignant at the hanyou's sudden display of unjustified jealousy, she hollered back, "Inuyasha, don't you _dare!_ He didn't mean anything by it, understand?"

"Kagome!" There was a protest from the middle of the pack, who instinctively tightened their ranks at seeing the look in the young woman's eye.

"I _mean_ it, Inuyasha!" Kagome whirled back around to stamp out the door. Sango stood frozen, not sure just what had happened. A wolf whined plaintively somewhere down by her feet, and she blinked as a familiar black head and wide shoulders popped up above the crowded pack of youkai.

"Sango!"

Sango stared up at the Taiyoukai, who grinned at her startled expression.

"Go with Ginta, _toutoi. _We'll be awhile."

She wasn't the only one now wearing a startled expression. Not knowing the ancient word's meaning to the ookami clan, Sango could not know that the clan-lord had just called her precious to him---she only knew that the sudden interested speculation glittering in various youkai eyes made her want to go find an access-pipe and pull the cover closed behind her. Biting her lip, she turned and fled as quickly as that poor, brash ookami had, a howling mass of tumbling furballs following in her wake.

Ginta was grinning like an idiot as he held the door for the last tail-waving imbecile to gallop through. He would have loved to have heard the shouting-match that would now commence inside that room, but Kouga had entrusted him with seeing to the women's welfare. Hurrying to catch up with them, he bowed and grinned and felt that all might eventually be right with the world…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I thought this was a hotel," Kagome snapped testily. She was irritated, but then, Inuyasha could always do that to her. He knew better than anyone just how to push her buttons and get right under her skin…

"Hotel?" Ginta was still ginning like an idiot. He was a far cry from the diffident young youkai she had first met onboard Yoro Station.

"Yes, hotel." Kagome was more than put out by that stupid grin, but she was acting like a brat. She didn't like herself when she acted that way, and so she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It wasn't Ginta's fault, after all, that her nerves were all on edge. After Hakkaku's shocking news the night before, they had all gone dashing off to Agariba without a thought to what they should bring or for how long they intended to stay in the port-city. As soon as the shuttle had touched down, both Inuyasha and Kouga had disappeared into that crowded conference room, leaving her and Sango to lamely follow in their wake. She hadn't slept in over sixteen hours, night had turned into morning, and she was still in the clothes she had had on yesterday, she had nothing to change into, and she had just found out that the opulent hotel that she had always stayed in and taken for granted wasn't actually a hotel at all, but was Kouga's _home_, his residential mansion, as a matter of fact.

And damn if her period hadn't just started.

What a lousy damn night---or day---or whatever, this was turning out to be.

Kagome flopped into a plush chair to pout. A cold, wet nose tickled her out-flung hand, and she giggled. A warm tongue licked the ticklish spot, and she shooed at the wolf to make him go away. He just grinned at her, showing enough jagged, yellow teeth to make a dental medic glare. He was a rusty brown-red in color, as were most of the wolves who now lounged all over the suite of rooms Ginta had brought them to.

Ginta sat cross-legged on the floor, idly scratching a gray wolf's ear as he grinned at the onna who sat across from him in a white arm-chair. They both turned to look as Sango emerged from the necessary. Kagome's glance was critically concerned. The taijiya looked pale and tired, a bit overwhelmed as well. Jumping up, Kagome decided to take charge. Breakfast was in order, as well as a good, long nap. If Sango looked like hell, she must look worse. They might even be able to do some shopping later, seeing as they had brought not a scrap of clothing with them…

That thought restored her good humor, and Kagome bustled to the taijiya's side, pulling her over and firmly sitting her down at the nearest table. Turning to Ginta, who now lolled around on the carpet with a pair of yelping wolves, she glared. "If this was a _hotel_, I wouldn't have trouble ordering room service."

Ginta flushed. Tripping over his feet, he bowed an apology before disappearing through the ornately-carved door. Kagome sat down across the table from Sango. Propping her head on one hand, she asked bluntly, "You okay?"

Sango nodded absentmindedly.

Kagome cocked an eyebrow in the taijiya's direction, more than familiar with her moods.

Sango gave up. "I'm worried," she admitted, allowing the concern to show in her dark eyes as she met Kagome's gaze with her own.

"About Ayame? You never knew her, neither of us did." Kagome pointed out, though she was worried as well. There was something so _sudden_ about the female ookami's death. It had come as a shock to Kouga, she knew that much. Struck by a new thought, she sat up and looked intently at her friend. "You're not worried about how her death has affected Kouga, are you, Sango?"

Sango slowly nodded, though she wasn't worried over what Kagome thought she was. "He feels it---as a leader, as a lord, he _feels_ it. It was one of his own---one of his clan. Wolf youkai are so…" Her hand fluttered in a helpless gesture, a strange motion for the taijiya to make. She must have been really tired.

Or affected.

"Hakkaku was a little spacy on the details," Kagome said. "Do you know how she…died?"

Sango mutely shook her head. "He wouldn't say in front of us, though I know he told Kouga and Inuyasha."

Kagome became irritated again. "I don't know _why_. It's not as if we aren't a part of it---"

"But we _aren't_, Kagome," Sango interrupted her. "Well, you might be, because Inuyasha is your mate and Kouga's best friend, but it's not as if I…"

She looked sad. Kagome didn't like it. Damn Kouga and his damn thick hide. He was so frigging _dense! _Here Sango was, all but hurting, and he was hashing out some stupid plan to go after Ayame's murderer with sheer male bravado and little sense. Kagome could all but kill him…though she felt a pang at the thought of the young youkai's death. It was right that Kouga be just where he was, he was Taiyoukai of his clan, after all. She just kept forgetting that particular consideration, Kouga was just so _different_ from the only other Taiyoukai she had ever really known---Sesshoumaru---and she didn't like to see Sango looking so lost and defeated.

Struck with sudden inspiration, Kagome leaned forward and demanded, "You're troubled about something, something more than just feeling helpless. Is it Ayame? But you never met her---"

"But I did." Sango bit her lip, looking unhappy at the memory, as Kagome's eyes widened. "I met her here, on the night of the reception, when Kouga kis---"

She abruptly fell silent, though the blush staining her cheeks made Kagome sit straight up. "Sango! Did Kouga _kiss_ you that night?"

"Yes…" Sango wouldn't meet the other girl's eyes.

Kagome's smile was as blinding as Ginta's. If Sango had allowed Kouga to _kiss_ her all those months ago, than she wasn't as immune to the ookami's charm as she pretended to be. It meant that Kouga was right in believing that Sango might have some feelings for him, though Kagome had suspected as much. She just thought the arrogant wolf was too quick to claim the taijiya as his mate when he hadn't even taken the girl's own feelings into consideration---but then, that was typical of youkai.

_And hanyou._

Kagome frowned at the thought, irrationally annoyed with all males of the species. She turned a dark glare as Ginta abruptly opened the sitting room's door without bothering to knock. The ookami was oblivious; he smiled as he held the door open for a virtual flood of uniformed servants carrying in enough food to feed an army, let alone two ningen, hungry as they were.

Kagome waited impatiently for the servants to depart, nodding and smiling enough to make her dizzy. She felt like her face just might crack with all that damn smiling.

Wow, she was acting downright crazy. PMS sure sucked.

"Is there anything else you need, ladies?" Ginta hovered next to table, neatly slapping an inquiring muzzle aside and growling an order that sent all the wolves streaming into the other room, tails between their legs.

"You didn't have to do that," Kagome groused, even as she reached for a pile of succulent grapes. Man, she _was_ crazy. Poor Ginta was just trying to be nice. Forcing another smile on her face, she grated cheer into her voice. "Thank you, though. I don't think we need anything else, do you, Sango?"

"Hmmm?" Sango was biting at her nail, and looked up to shake her head. "No, thank you, Ginta. You've been kind."

"No problem, Sango-sama. My pleasure." The ookami bowed.

Kagome's brows rose. _Sango-sama?_

That was a rather interesting development. Sango did not appear to notice as Ginta bowed himself out, finally closing the door so Kagome could get back to her interrogation. Adding a steaming croissant to her rapidly filling plate, Kagome said nonchalantly, "So you've met that youkai, Ayame? What was she like?"

Sango looked uncomfortable. She nibbled at a piece of buttered toast, though she suddenly wasn't that hungry. "She…she was very youkai."

Kagome pursed her lips. "So, she was a real bitch."

Sango's eyes widened.

"PMS," Kagome waved her hand dismissively. Sango demurred to comment.

"I've seen her kind in action. I can just imagine what she might have said to you. I heard that she was pissed that Kouga dumped her. Ginta said she was real ambitious, and a real pain in the ass." Kagome speared a piece of meat with her chopsticks.

"_Ginta_ said that?" Sango blinked.

"Well, maybe not _that_, precisely, but his meaning was all too clear," Kagome replied mildly, her eyes narrowed on her friend.

"She loved him," Sango said softly, playing with her food but not eating.

Kagome snorted.

Sango blinked again.

"She loved his position and his money, maybe, but she never loved _him_."

"How could you know that? You never met her," Sango argued.

Kagome only snorted again. Gods, she was tired. Irritated, too, though not with Sango. The poor girl just needed reassurance. Deliberately putting down her chopsticks, Kagome said bluntly, "Sango, don't feel bad that you didn't like Ayame. It's not your fault she's dead---"

"Do you know that, Kagome?" Sango asked softly, her shadowed eyes rising to meet the other girl's startled gaze.

"Why would you think that Ayame's murder had anything to do with _you_, Sango? You're a virtual stranger here, and don't know anybody! You only met the bitch once, what makes you think---"

"It's too convenient." Sango worried at her nail again, her gaze turned inward.

"Convenient?" Kagome looked dubious.

"Think about it, Kagome. Ayame was killed only a few days after I was…reminded…by Kagura of my forgotten past, and Ayame was expected by many to become the Taiyoukai's…mate…" Sango stumbled over the word, before rushing on, "…the next Lady of the wolf clan. I know little of youkai politics---I was only a pawn, and we were never told much, they never really encouraged curiosity---but things get around, you know, rumors…"

"Rumors?" Kagome didn't like where this was going.

"Before…before Naraku…" Sango stumbled again, before recovering, her eyes earnest as she tried to press upon her friend the urgency of her fragmented reflections. "Before Seggeth Station, there were rumors that Lord Sesshoumaru of the Inu might be in opposition with the wolf clan-lord, who was rising in power and flinging aside old traditions left and right as if they meant nothing. It had the brothers talking---they were taking bets on which youkai might contract them to take out which other youkai…"

She stopped at the look on Kagome's face, and blushed.

Kagome groped for something to say. Sango's casual reference to such a barbaric past-time among her former associates brought the ugly reality of it truly home to her. Kagome felt faintly nauseous, and pushed her filled plate away with a shudder. Leaning back against the chair's firm support, she focused on the first part of Sango's speech. "Sesshoumaru. What does he have to do with Kouga?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru has always led the more traditionalist faction among the youkai lords---"

"Yes, I know," Kagome replied with the faint bitterness of recall. Sesshoumaru had impressed upon her more than once that he regarded her and Inuyasha's relationship to be disgraceful at best. Before she had met her sweet hanyou, Kagome had known little of the distant Lord who ruled Thetis with a meticulous, iron claw. She knew that he cared little for ningen, crowding them into the cities to allow the green paradise of famed wines to grow uncluttered by the taint of humanity. She had always thought that he was rather elegant, and handsome in a porcelain way. She had not known then just how much of a creep and an ass hole he was. Not until she had met Inuyasha, who was as different from his icy snob of a brother as night was to day…

_Thank the Gods._

"With Naraku now gone---" There was dark relish in the taijiya's soft voice at that statement, "---Lord Sesshoumaru would most likely be the most powerful youkai of the traditionalists' faction. He might see the wolf Taiyoukai…"

"_Kouga_." Kagome sharply reminded her, though Sango went on, heedless of the interruption.

"…as a distinct threat. He might even take…action…against him."

"Action?" Kagome asked, frowning.

Sango was distracted by another thought. "I wonder what Lady Kagura has to do with all of this."

"Kagura?" Kagome felt like a parrot, repeating the taijiya's words. A rather _confused_ parrot.

"The Oni and Inu clans have never been allies, though they have never truly been enemies either. I know Lord Sesshoumaru held Naraku in contempt---"

"What the hell is this all about, Sango?" Kagome demanded. She could feel a headache starting, right between her eyes.

"The Great Game," Sango said softly, her eyes shadowed.

Kagome felt a chill run down her spine. Testy and irritated, she said, "What has the youkai Game to do with us? We're only ningen---"

"Yes, but your mate is Lord Sesshoumaru's brother---"

"_Half_-brother."

"Half-brother, then, and Lord Kouga is a Taiyoukai of rising prominence, with modern ideas that most youkai would find repellent."

"How can you keep track of all this stuff?" Kagome could definitely feel that headache coming on. She winced, massaging her aching forehead with out-spread fingers.

"It is…was…part of my job," Sango said, her brown eyes full of memory. "The Brotherhood was often contracted by various youkai lords to…"

Kagome felt sick.

Seeing her friend's expression, Sango chose a different way to explain. "Ah, to take down their enemies. Often it was for no more reason than that the contracted prey…er…party…had offended the youkai in some small way, but at other times, it was a calculated move made in the Great Game."

"You…the Brotherhood, I mean…killed for the Game?" Kagome felt icy all over. How…_horrible_…it all was! How pointless and stupid!

Sango shrugged, entrenched by her training. "That's the Game."

"That's _disgusting_," Kagome pronounced.

"That's the Game." Sango's voice was flat. Denying truth never changed it.

"Then maybe Kouga is right. Maybe it's time for the Game to change. Maybe it's _past_ time," Kagome insisted.

"The Game will never change." The finality in the girl's voice sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. She was acting so---_taijiya_---right now. Even her expression was hidden behind an emotionless mask, the mask she assumed whenever she was drawn back into her assassin's training.

Kagome didn't like it. Abruptly shifting gears, she asked, "So what does all this have to do with Ayame's murder?"

Sango sighed, wiping a weary hand across her own aching forehead. She was tired, and all of this speculation had stirred up far too many memories of the past for her relative peace of mind. She kept it short and to the point. "I think Kouga has a contract out on him. A blood contract. Whoever has paid for it is toying with him, hoping to make him suffer. I believe that is why they went after Ayame. I wish I knew how she was killed."

Kagome frowned. "If they did, than they are stupid. Kouga never loved Ayame."

Sango shrugged, a helpless gesture Kagome didn't like. The shadows under and in those dark eyes made her uneasy, and her thoughts churned with another realization. Urgently leaning forward, she said with real fear, "Sango, if they really went after Ayame just because they thought she was with Kouga, what will they do about _you?"_

"What?" Sango could be as dense as Kouga. "What do you mean?"

"Kouga loves you---"

"Kagome, that's not true. We're just friends. Kouga and I talked---"

"I don't give a rat's ass what that damn wolf said, he's still got feelings for you and he's already claimed you as his mate. Youkai don't go back on their word---"

"He made a mistake. He felt sorry for me, after learning about my past---"

"Bullshit."

"Kagome, you can't understand---"

"You're the one who doesn't understand---" Kagome abruptly shut up, seeing the haunted look in Sango's eyes. _Damn._

"I'm sorry," she said softly, getting up from her seat to go hug her friend. "I'm just so stupid-tired, and my period just started and all that stuff about Ayame and Kouga and the Game and your past and everything just got me all worked up…"

"I'm sorry," Sango whispered, returning her hug. "I shouldn't have said anything…"

"No, I'm glad you did. It just seems as if our whole world just got flipped upside down, and I'm just too tired right now to make sense out of any of it. But I worry about you, Sango, and, damn it, you should _let_ me---worry about you, that is. I'm your friend."

"I'm sorry," Sango offered awkwardly, and blinked rapidly to keep the sudden tears at bay. "I don't _want_ you to worry, Kagome."

"But I will," Kagome said gently, combing an escaped tendril of black hair behind the taijiya's ear. "I know you aren't used to it, but it's something you will _have_ to get used toI know you are strong, we all know---but you are so guarded, so ready to shield yourself, especially from us. It's frustrating, sometimes. I'm only asking that you let me in once in a while."

"I'll try to remember." Sango gave her a rather watery smile, and Kagome impulsively hugged her again.

"Ah, Sango, we'll be all right. We _all_ will. I think we're both just tired right now, and should just go catch up on some needed Z's. Inuyasha and Kouga will be at that stupid council for hours yet." Kagome allowed her disgruntlement to show. She didn't like being excluded, but at the same time she was glad she wasn't there right now, getting even more of a headache than she already had by listening to all those youkai howl until they exhausted themselves and were finally willing to listen to Kouga. She knew that the _real_ work was being done by discreet investigation, though she wondered if anyone had thought of the angle Sango had…

Feeling her temples pound the harder, Kagome shook her head. "Enough! Time for bed."

Sango nodded, albeit reluctantly. She still felt there was something important she was missing, something _vital_…

OoOOooOOoo

_Additional A/N: (As if your eyes aren't bleeding already…) I need to thank quite a few people, especially Coiled Iris, who's insightful reviews have inspired me to explore the reasoning behind certain characters and plot twists. Thank you. Additional thanks go to:_

_Chel (affnet) - Your exclamation points made me laugh out loud. Thank you._

_howlingblue (affnet) - The ties should be slowly coming together now. Your review helped remind me that sometimes a plot can grow too large, and that I should rein in my overactive imagination sometimes. )_

_righteous red (ffnet) - Wow. Your reviews keep me writing. I would enjoy some of that bad fan art. I'm trying to do some of my own Kog/San right now, though Sango's eyeballs are driving me nuts. I adored your last review, for chapter 12. Summed it up and served it on a plate. Thank you!_

_Symbiotica (ffnet) - You are too, too sweet._

_MystiKoorime (ffnet) - There will be fluffy waffiness soon, I promise!_

_Demon Exterminator Barbie (ffnet) - I would love to be in Sango's shoes, too. I might chop all my fingers off…LOL._


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